Feathers, Fangs and Flames
by Nauro
Summary: Harry gets bitten by Lupin in third year. Now he questions himself and his life and struggles against his inner wolf. It's Harry finding support from both Cho and Ginny, questioning if anything good can happen for him. Fighting for the truth, himself, and those dearest to him, Harry wants to see Cho and Ginny safe. Werewolf's life is never simple.
1. The Bite

**Disclaimer**: I would like to express my regrets for not owning Harry in any way. Better luck next time.

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**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter I

The Bite

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A pair of yellow eyes, feverish with hunger, gleamed brightly from the darkness. Harry stopped dead, his heart banging against his ribs, his wand held before him in a trembling grip as he tried to calm himself down. That was not the first time that he had started at shadows, and he was beginning to feel embarrassed. It had to be the chill in the air, the uncomfortable dankness, the eerie silence that was setting his alarms ringing. Or, just the nervousness of the upcoming match.

"What's the matter?" said Ron. "Why are you so jumpy?"

Harry pointed ahead, trying to keep the shaking hand steady. "Eyes," he muttered.

"I don't see anything, mate. You sure?" Ron asked, before he reached for his wand. "Might as well check. _Lumos_!"

The narrow beam of light darted across the grass, moved across the bottom of a tall tree, and then illuminated its ghostly branches. There, crouching among the budding leaves, was Crookshanks, Hermione's cat.

Harry had been sure, for a moment that felt endless, that those eyes had belonged to the Grim.

It was both unsettling and even painful to admit that a part of him feared the black dog, the omen of death. He sometimes even dreamt of it, a great beast with glittering fangs and eyes ablaze with a hidden flame, with deep malevolence. Was there any chance the Grim was after him, as Trelawney had said? It seemed preposterous, since she was an old crank, but even stopped clocks were right twice a day.

With a measured breath, he forced himself to relax. He tried distancing himself from the fear, but it was not easy. He knew the dreams would come to haunt him once again.

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/VVVV\

Harry cleared his thoughts as he considered Quidditch, and his new broom. He was going to use his brand new Firebolt in a match for the first time, and he could barely wait. Every Gryffindor seemed fired up about the new acquisition, certain that it would be the reason for a swift victory, and Harry did not dissuade them of the idea. He definitely intended to push it to its limits. The Ravenclaws were already in the middle of the field, and he quickly darted in.

As he soared around the stadium, barely ten minutes later, he did not really listen to Lee's enthusiastic commentary, instead staring intensely around the ring, searching for the gleam of gold.

His first dive was intercepted by a speeding Bludger, and he could only barely scoot aside at the last moment; the second time he thought he spotted his target, he failed outright, getting blocked quite effectively by Chang, who grinned as she rocketed away. Harry shook his head as he slowly rose into the sky again, and noticed Wood waving at him with both arms.

"HARRY, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN!" Wood roared as Harry swerved to avoid yet another collision. "KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!"

Cho grinned again as the Snitch vanished from sight, and Harry sighed. After a few seconds a plan formed in Harry's mind, a way to get around Chang, who seemed to think that sticking close to him was a surefire way to win. She had been tailing him for the whole game, and he could live with that as a base for the idea. Suddenly, he glanced sideways and forced his Firebolt to its limits, diving down as if he had seen the Snitch. Chang, hot on his heels, fell for it and followed him. As soon as Harry was sure she was close, he pulled out of the dive. Sharply. Cho tried to match him, but was a few seconds late and on an inferior broom; she almost crashed into the ground, skittering across the field, even having to kick back from it to pull up properly.

"Potter!" She cried out, waving a fist at him.

"Bite me," was Harry's jovial response, as he rose up like a speeding bullet, gaining height again, quickly manoeuvring himself around one of the Ravenclaw Beaters.

There, a few dozen meters away, a glint of gold suddenly appeared. Harry accelerated once more, much calmer than before, sure of his victory; his broom was faster and he was the one closer - no contest at all.

But, something went wrong - Cho screamed in warning - Harry saw three tall Dementors approaching in their black, billowing cloaks.

He didn't stop to think. Plunging a hand down the neck of his robes, he whipped out his wand and roared, "_Expecto patronum_!"

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/VVVV\

That time, they won, but he still remembered the dreams of the black hound that haunted him that night. |Harry recalled how the dream was broken by the scream of frightened Ron Weasley, on that very same night, when Sirius Black had broken into their dormitory. Harry shook his head and forced himself to ignore it.

Today, he had more important things to worry about. The Gryffindor team was preparing for the final game for the Quidditch Cup, and he was going to have to win it. After what happened in all of the year's games, he could not help being a bit nervous about the whole thing.

The entrance of the team into the Great Hall was met with a round of applause, and even though the Slytherin table, as usual, just hissed at them, Harry's spirits were high. The entire breakfast period was spent listening to Wood, who had taken it onto himself to make sure everybody ate well, especially his star players. The fact that Wood himself declined any food was soon forgotten; Harry felt like he ate something wriggly for breakfast, and hoped it would not get him into trouble, later. It didn't help when the three tables cheered and applauded them once more, and he felt the expectations of everyone making him more than a little nervous.

"Good luck, Harry!" called Cho. Harry felt himself blushing.

Maybe, after all, it would all work out in the end, he thought, steeling himself.

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/VVVV\

"Are you insane?" said Harry, his voice easily as haggard as Sirius Black's. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?"

Sirius turned right around to look at him, a peculiar glint of hope in his eyes as he took in his godson's sudden enthusiasm. Snape's head was scraping the ceiling but Black didn't seem to care, staring at the teen beside him.

"You want to?" he said. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, I mean it!" said Harry, nodding.

Black's gaunt face broke into the first true smile Harry had seen upon it. The difference it made was startling, as though a person ten years younger were shining through that starved mask; for a moment, he was recognizable as the man who had laughed at Harry's parents' wedding.

They did not speak again for some time, but the silence was comfortable. Harry was deep in thought, considering the prospects of having a family, of sorts, and of leaving the Dursleys behind forever. He could barely wait.

"One wrong move, Peter," said Lupin threateningly, his wand still pointed sideways at Pettigrew's chest. He seemed to have noticed the interplay between Sirius and Harry, and his occasional glances bore a strange mixture of justified paranoia and calm acceptance.

Silently, they tramped through the grounds, as the castle lights slowly grew brighter and larger in the distance, promising them safety. Snape was still drifting weirdly ahead of Black, his chin bumping on his chest. And then, suddenly, everything went terribly wrong.

A cloud shifted. Dim shadows ran along the ground, hiding in the darkest corners. Their party was bathed in moonlight.

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The enormous, bearlike dog bounded forward, its vicious teeth snapping at its target with determination and purpose - to attract the full creature's attention. As the werewolf was wrenching itself free of the manacle binding it, the dog seized the changing wolf about the neck and pulled it backward, away from Ron and Pettigrew. The two beasts were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other. Both tumbled and rolled, their cries and growls piercing the night. Hermione screamed, but she was too late - Harry had just tumbled a step, and was snagged away, falling into the chaos, dragged under into their struggle.

Panic engulfed him as the snarling bodies, far more powerful than he could hope to fight against, came so close to him he could practically feel the spittle from their fight. He got kicked in the ribs by one, leaving a dark welt, and something had carved a burning scratch on his face. His robes took even more punishment, getting ripped apart when Harry attempted to worm his way out, to flee in panic. He tried and tried again to get out from under Sirius, and for the briefest glimpses, saw his own fear reflected back from the dark abyss in the glimmering eyes of the Grim.

Black threw any semblance of caution to the wind and tried to drag the wolf away with his full weight. Padfoot got in the way of bites and rending claws, without a measure of self preservation, and soon Harry found himself drenched in the blood of the black dog. Harry could only watch, mesmerized with the grotesque sight and frozen with deep, primal fear. It seemed an eternity had passed till he got away, when he shook himself up and half crawled - half rolled out of the battlefield. For briefest of seconds, Harry allowed himself to think that he had gotten to safety, but was quickly proven wrong, when something snagged his left arm, the sudden and sharp pain taking his breath away.

Sirius had given it his all, and he hadn't much of anything left to give. He was bleeding from multiple wounds, trembling on his padded, blood drenched feet. He was sure his godson had not been bitten - perhaps, he could hold out for a few more moments... Suddenly, the wolf lashed out at Harry's arm, swatting all his hopes away. Sirius was closer, but he knew that there was no chance to push Remus out of the way - no strength left to drag the werewolf back. He did the only thing his tired mind could think of - he bit Harry first, as lightly as dog bites go, and tried to tug him further from the raging werewolf.

Harry was lighter and it should have been possible to push him away rather than stop Remus, but it turned out to be even more difficult than he feared. Werewolf jaws caught onto his muzzle - Lupin hadn't shifted his target, thus biting them both at the same time. Sirius could only shifted, putting his flesh in the way of fangs, hanging onto that one, last impossible chance. He tried to let the teen go, but the werewolf had enough force to its fangs dig deep into Sirius muzzle, forcing Black to hold his own bite.

Harry let out a scream out of the seething pain. His godfather had almost torn his limb of. The arm just wouldn't break free, wouldn't even twitch - the pain was immobilizing, unbearable, even as the hound gave its all to forge him a chance to slip away. Screaming in both pain and frustration, Harry tugged his arm forcefully away, but not before two sets of fangs raked his skin, blood spraying everywhere.

He got free! His left arm was a bloody mess. With the inhuman strength of the bites, Harry was lucky that it wasn't completely torn off.

For a second, the werewolf hesitated. As if Lupin suddenly woke, his eyes displaying a bout of sudden clarity. It was as if he was fighting inside as fiercely as Black was outside, as if the horror of the moment had finally seeped through to the remnants of the human mind.. The hound used the second to grab another bite of werewolf fur, and this time, the wolf whimpered and fled.

Sirius shifted back to his normal self, locked eyes with his godson, and fell to the ground, incapable of keeping himself upright on only two feet. Blood seeped into his eyes from his scalp, poured onto the ground from countless wounds, and he looked barely hanging onto his life.

Harry stared blankly as some silence returned, as the din finally quieted. Ron and Hermione were on the ground, and the latter was trying to get up. Ron looked to be unconscious; Peter was gone. Snape was unresponsive, dropped unceremoniously into a position that would be hell on the man's neck in the morning.

He felt weak, pain searing through his every nerve. Every movement hurt, even breathing was a daunting task, sending waves of pain though his battered and bruised body. The grass field was red with sticky blood, and there was no saying how much was his own.

It was cold, unnaturally so. Something was coming, and Harry knew it wasn't the winter. Not in the first weeks of the summer.

He gripped his wand, which had miraculously survived the ordeal, and gazed at Hermione. She would not be of much help. He still tried.

The Dementors came, then. Gliding softly across the ground, freezing the blood in a grotesque patterns of red frost, their dark bodies approaching in complete silence, billowing in the night. They had homed onto Sirius, and Harry was the only one out of them all, able to at least try something. And he did.

""_Expecto_ –– Hermione, help me! _Expecto patronum_!"

She barely managed to mutter something. _They _were heading towards Sirius. It was no use.

"No — no —" Harry gasped. "He's innocent… E_xpecto_ _Expecto_ _Patronum_ —"

White fog was blinding him. He had to fight… _Expecto_ _Patronum_…

He couldn't see… In the distance, he heard the familiar screaming… _Expecto_ _Patronum_…

He groped in the mist for Sirius, crying out in pain as his wounded arm moved, touched something… The hand felt like it was frozen deep, the pain etching itself into his mind, the cold was unbearable, so cold even, that it felt like his hand was on fire.

They weren't going to take him down, they wouldn't take Sirius-

A pair of strong, clammy hands suddenly attached themselves around Harry's neck. They were forcing his face upward… He could feel its breath - it was going to get rid of him first… He could feel its putrid breath- His mother was screaming in his ears. She was going to be the last thing he ever heard —

And then, through the fog that was drowning him, he thought he saw a silvery light growing brighter and brighter… He felt himself fall forward onto the grass… His eyes barely opened, the world was fading around him. Something was driving the Dementors back - but it could not possibly be…

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/VVVV\

He came to in a hospital wing, lying in a painfully familiar bed. Madam Pomfrey was holding his left hand and tracing it with her wand, nodding distractedly to herself as she hummed a couple of healing spells. Hermione was sitting nearby, just on the next bed, eating a chocolate bar. Ron was out of it, sleeping in yet another hospital bed, further back.

Harry winced as he felt some scratches along his knuckles closing up - there already were quite a few new patches of light, pink skin along his whole arm, the magic forcing his limb through the long process of recovery in a manner of seconds. Most of the blood already had been cleaned up, but for a couple more bite marks, glistening with few drops of slowly clotting blood. When Pomfrey finished her spell, she muttered something about minister and Black-

The minister? It took Harry a moment to realise what she was going on about. It all came back to him - there were Dementors attacking then, trying to Kiss Sirius. Was it too late now? Fear making his heart beat faster, Harry tried to sit up. "I need to see the Headmaster. Now."

**"**Mr. Potter**-"**

The door opened, and Professor Albus Dumbledore entered, as if summoned by the loud demands of his injured student. Pomfrey looked tiredly at the Headmaster, shaking her head.

"Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black —" Harry tried to explain.

"For heaven's sake!" cried Madam Pomfrey. "Is this a hospital wing or not? Stop your yelling! Headmaster, I must insist —"

Albus nodded apologetically, giving Harry a short glance with an inscrutable expression. " You have my sincerest apologies, Poppy, but I am very much in need for talk with both Mr. Potter and Miss Granger," he said. "Alone. Poppy – if you may..."

"Headmaster!" sputtered Madam Pomfrey. "They need treatment, they need rest —"

"And they will receive such, after some matters have been elucidated," Dumbledore agreed." But I have some promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. Before we _all_ can rest. I must insist."

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips and strode away into her office at the end of the ward, slamming the door behind her without saying another word.

"Robert Frost, sir?" Hermione asked, still somewhat fazed by the rather rude departure of Madam Pomfrey.

"Quite," Dumbledore said. "Now, I should very much like to know what happened yesterday, as you can imagine."

Harry and Hermione both got out of their beds and started to explain at the same time. It was a messy retelling, where they tried to tell the tale of the Grim, about fake Secret-Keepers and the messy fight between Lupin and Black... The Headmaster raised his hand after a few confusing seconds.

"It is too late, if you understand me?" Dumbledore explained calmly, his eyes twinkling. "You must see that Professor Snape's version of events is far more convincing than yours. What we need is little simply more _time_."

Hermione's eyes widened.

"Now, pay attention," said Dumbledore, speaking very low, and very clearly. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. But remember this, both of you: you must not be seen. Miss Granger, you know the law — you know what is at stake… You – must – not – be – seen. I am going to lock you in. It is –" He consulted his watch, "five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

Dumbledore had turned on his heel and left. Harry didn't have a clue what was going on, but when he turned to Hermione, he saw that she held a small golden hourglass.

"What?"

"Quickly, Harry"

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/VVVV\

Harry stood next to Hermione in the wand-lit broom closet, still trying to figure out what happened. She was trying her best to explain.

"...and then Fudge and Snape barged in, Pomfrey was trying to heal your arm and yelled at them for disturbing peace, and they left to argue in the corridor. I tried to tell them that Sirius is innocent, but they wouldn't hear it. Snape accused me of being confunded and Fudge called me a silly girl. Pomfrey told me to stay and gave me the chocolate. I overheard them telling to Headmaster Dumbledore that Sirius is going to be kissed. Headmaster tried to reason, but the Minister didn't listen. They left somewhere and I was thinking what to do, but then you woke up..."

"But it's light outside, what..."

"This is a Time-Turner." She held out the small hourglass. "It's how I took all those subjects this year."

"I don't understand..."

"Look, Harry, we are now in the past. We should be able to find ourselves going to Hagrid..." She trailed off for a second, deep in thought. Harry waited impatiently, until she finally continued. "It's most important that we are not seen. Harry, I don't understand what Dumbledore wants us to do. Why did he tell us to go back three hours? How is that going to help Sirius?"

"There must be something that happened around now he wants us to change," he said slowly. "What happened? We were walking down to Hagrid's three hours ago-"

"Harry?" she interrupted him, looking at his arm. "You are bleeding."

He glanced down and saw a few drops of blood pooling on the ground. "I'm fine, it's just a scratch. Pomfrey must have missed a spot."

She pointer her wand at his hand.

"_Episkey._"

Nothing happened. She tried again. And again.

"Perhaps you are doing it wrong?" he suggested quietly.

"Maybe..." Hermione paled a little, shaking her head in disbelief. "I might have been pronouncing it wrong. I'd have to check in the library... We can't just waltz into the Hospital Wing too, there would be questions-"

"I'm fine."

"You are bleeding."

"It'll heal."

She gave him a hard stare and transfigured the first old rag she could find in the closet into a piece of soft white cloth. After a few moments his scratch was bandaged tightly.

"Thank you." Harry smiled contently, running fingers over the slowly reddening bandage. It was not painful, more like an unpleasant sensation, restricting his movements of the hand. Other than that - he felt perfectly fine. "Can we go now? I think I have an idea whose innocent life we have to save. Buckbeak's."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry bowed**.** Buckbeak was staring at him with orange eyes. There was something in the air he could almost smell. Was there a glint of fear in the eyes? Perhaps the Hippogriff had understood who was waiting for him in the shed, realised what his fate would be. Why was Buckbeak not bowing back? They both stood still for a few more seconds, the tension rising.

Hermione was muttering something under her breath. He could hear her reciting a quote from some book as to what happened when a Hippogriff does not respond to a bow. It probably was a good idea to run when that happened.

"Buckbeak, please." Harry was desperate, he could hear footsteps echoing in the cabin. "We have to go."

The Hippogriff sank to his knees, at last, and then stood again. Harry grabbed the rope and tore it from the fence, quickly untying the knot. When he started to drag Buckbeak away, he half expected to feel resistance, but he was proven otherwise - the Hippogriff had gotten over his reticence and followed obediently. They quickly made way to the trees.

Harry felt relieved for a moment. It was going alright. He caught a whiff of Hagrid's strong drinks, and turned around to see him walk out of the cabin, with Macnair trailing right behind him. The man cursed aloud when he realised that Buckbeak was gone, and Harry frowned. He could practically smell the anger radiating from the executioner - a rather unpleasant, spice sensation tickling his nose. It hung there like a cloud of dark foreboding.

"What is that?" he whispered, as he found something else in that scent. However, he did not want to dally, and started leading them further away before hearing a response.

"Harry?" Hermione looked around. "Did you see something?"

"Don't you smell it?"

She sniffed around. "Unless you mean the trees and the Buckbeack's reeking breath of its last meal, no."

"Not, that is not it - it's like a hint of..." he tried to find a word and failed for a few seconds, finishing rather awkwardly, "I don't know, pure malice and darkness? Malevolence?"

"What do you mean? Those aren't even smells, Harry, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"You _always_ say that."

"No, really, I never felt better." Harry blinked as he realized that it was true - there was a certain springiness in his step, a lightness to his movements. Some sort of pronounced sense of quickness he would have never expected to feel so soon after being mauled as badly as he had been. "I think Madam Pomfrey must have outdone herself this time."

She eyed him carefully as if to weight his words, but didn't comment - he didn't look any different, after all.

Suddenly, he snickered, for no apparent reason, earning another worried look from Hermione. "I wish we could see his face, you know. Dumbledore just told him to search the skies for us..."

Hermione smiled, but as she tried to listen she could hear nothing. They were simply too far away along the forest. They moved to watch the Whomping Willow for a few minutes, letting the events unfold as they did before, then, slowly and carefully, they moved in.

"We must not be seen?" Harry asked her as if to make sure. "Does that mean I cannot snatch the cloak?"

"Yes, we can't. We are already threading the thin line..."

He hushed her. "You are too loud, Hagrid will hear you," he whispered, crouching back and pushing Buckbeak further back.

He was right as but a few seconds later they had to hold the Hippogriff close; Buckbeak wanted to reach Hagrid, but Harry held the rope, and, thankfully, the creature did not call out.

When Snape went down, Hermione turned at Harry to ask him about Dementors. Her eyes widened as Harry jumped at her sudden movement. Somehow, that startled her too, and she tripped over her own feat; she grabbed Harry's arm for support, almost sending them both tumbling down.

"Harry!" she cried out, as he helped her adjust their balance.

He smiled, sweat running down his neck. He had his nose crunched, as if there was a foul smell emanating from somewhere just under his nose. "I'm sorry - just - you startled me," he tried a quick, hushed explanation. "I felt - strange - for a second there," he suddenly added, breathing heavily.

As if to prove his words he tried straightening himself up, and ended up leaning at Buckbeak to even stand straight. His legs were barely holding him, like a heavy weight had just fallen onto his shoulders. They were trembling, even - his previous great feeling replaced by some sort of nausea. What was going on?

She placed her hand on his forehead. "You are burning up. What did Pomfrey say? You should have stayed in the hospital wing..."

He winced, speaking slowly; it was hard for him to speak clearly, but he tried as much as possible. "She... told me nothing. She wasn't finished when... the Headmaster... entered..."

"What happened to your arm, them? Was it Peter? He hit me with some sort of spell, and when I came to it it was already cold, and you were covered in blood..."

"It... was Sirius." He managed a weak smile. It didn't help any. He was swaying to the sides, even, the repulsive taste of blood in his mouth, an annoying scent in his nose.

"How?"

"He dragged me- Away from Lupin. And. He overdid... a little." He winced. "Or a lot."

She eyed his left arm suspiciously. The cloth was completely red, drenched in Harry's blood. Her eyes widened in pure terror.

"You're lying, aren't you? Professor Lupin bit you." Hermione's words were heavy with concern, her eyes where misting up, panic was rising somewhere deep in her heart. "You were bitten by a werewolf and didn't say it?"

"No. I was not," Harry said with conviction he did not truly have. He could not be sure if Sirius had defended him from everything, but he wouldn't admit anything even if he did not, though. Not now.

"Let me look at your arm." Hermione said, matter-of-factly. "Immediately."

He tried resisting, but it was pointless. She unwrapped the cloth. It was completely soaked in crimson blood, and reeked something awful. Harry had noticed that particular stink a while ago, but now it became almost unbearable - he felt bile rising deep in his throat. At least, his arm looked perfectly fine, surprisingly so, even.

"Please... throw that away. It stinks," he pleaded, eyeing the cloth with revulsion.

She did as he said, and leaned forward, to examine his arm more thoroughly. "It seems to be alright..." she finally admitted. "It couldn't have been a werewolf bite - those are impossible to healed in such a short time." She dragged her fingers on a tiny scar on his hand. "This looks like it was mended near-perfectly. I guess that means I did mispronounce the healing spell, but it might have been the incompatibility with the spells Pomfrey had used. I don't know why your temperature has risen, though."

Harry stood up straight, breathing heavily, but looking better than before. The cloth being further away did wonders for his nausea. "We... I need to go. I just realised - I need to do this."

"What? Where?"

He pointed at fight, where a hound was trying to keep the wolf from biting another Harry. She gasped, seeing him get trampled under the snarling masses of fur and teeth. She almost screamed as she saw Sirius getting in the way of the last bite. She did cringe when the other Harry tore his arm away from the beasts, at the fountain of blood that was launched up in the cold night.

"Dementors will come in a minute. I can - feel them - already. No, I can hear... them coming."

"They don't make any sound, Harry."

"They do." His voice was stronger, suddenly, with a hint of angry growl. His eyes glittered radiant green. It seemed that the worst of his sudden ailment was over. He tilted his head to look from above the glasses. "Weird."

"Harry, don't do anything stupid. We must _not_ be seen, you are sick with something and you can't..."

"Hermione. It's fine. I remember it happening."

"But-"

He jumped forward and drew his wand. The Dementors were already circling the other him. Harry smiled as if remembering an old joke. "_Expecto Patronum!_"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"He's there!" Harry said, spotting Sirius, locked in the small room, as they rose up beside the right window. He reached out, and as Buckbeak's wings were flapping downwards, managed to tap sharply on the glass.

Sirius looked up. His face was scarred, one of his eyes closed shut, and from the looks of it, it had been all but gauged out. It was swollen, and held shut by the coagulated blood. The look in his intact eye made Harry shudder.

Hermione took out her wand, still gripping the back of Harry's robes with her left hand.

"_Alohomora_!"

The window sprang open.

"How — how —?" said Black weakly, staring at the Hippogriff.

"Get up, quick, we have no time — Dementors are coming."

Sirius tried to do as he was said. His movements were heavy and he winced in pain with each step, but he managed, somehow. With the first chance, Sirius' uninjured eye focused onto Harry's left arm. Noticing it without a scratch, he exhaled, and his lone open eye twinkled for a second. "Thank merlin..."

"Thank _you_." Both Harry and Sirius spoke at the same time. Sirius tried to laugh, but had to grab his side in pain.

"Your father would be proud..."

"He would thank you for saving me."

"I still hurt you," Sirius was trying to steady himself, climbing onto the Hippogriff with great difficulty. "You saved me, though. Thank you."

"Let's go," Harry urged once more.

Sirius smiled a bright smile, ignoring the pain it caused him. Quickly, they reached the West Tower.

"Sirius, you'd better go, quickly." Harry panted. "They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you're gone."

Sirius nodded, and with a short blink - or was that a wink - he set off.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

On the ride home in Hogwarts Express, Harry was fumbling with his glasses in his hands, wiping them with the hem of his shirt. He looked around and sniffed the air silently. It wasn't the first nor the last time he did so, but so far no one had said anything - Ron was following the tiny owl with his eyes, and Hermione, of course, was reading a book, Crookshanks sleeping next to her. Harry's friends let him focus on Sirius' letter in peace, one he had open on his lap and had read at least a hundred times by now. The compartment silent but for the flapping wings of the owl and the quiet rustling of pages being turned. However, all he could think of was a strange feeling he had while speaking with Lupin.

It was eerie, chilling sensation. Not quite a smell or a sound, but perhaps more of a distant echo of something else entirely, a primal instinct of the wilderness. Lupin had been highly uncomfortable speaking with Harry; the Professor had apologised at least a hundred times and only when Harry repeatedly told him he did not blame the man, and that everyone said that he could not have been bitten, Lupin allowed himself a small smile.

Lupin did ask to look at the arm himself, and even sniffed it carefully. _There is still something wrong_, he had said then. Harry had felt it himself, and Remus had confirmed it. But they both could not tell what the problem was exactly. The straight explanation was that there had been a bite after all - but then, the wound would not have closed so soon - all cursed wounds had a tendency to persist. Remus did not know what to think. _Promise you'll write to me in the summer, _he had asked with his parting words. And Harry would, as soon as he got... to the Dursleys.

His eyes moved down on the letter. _I'll write again soon_. Harry hoped that Sirius would.

He dropped his glasses and jumped up in surprise.

"Harry?" Ron stared at him, eyebrow raised.

Harry stared somewhere else - directly at the letter that had fallen onto the floor of the compartment, right next to his old glasses. He could see everything too clearly, clearer even than with his glasses on. He could even read every single word, a feat that could not have been possible with his vision, Sirius' handwriting silently playing with him.

Harry shifted his gaze to Ron, inhaling a smell of food from the Leaving Feast. He could almost taste everything Ron had eaten. The Weasley shuddered uncomfortably under Harry's hungry gaze. Hermione, meanwhile, had picked up his glasses and the letter and was extending them to him. He took both, drawing in the smell of parchment and ink that wafted off her hands.

"I'm sorry. I kind of dozed a bit there. It's alright." He sat down. "There is nothing to worry about," he lied.

He had to write both to Lupin and Black.

_Soon_.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter was revised on 2012-12-19, with a tremendous help from<strong> Morta's Priest<strong>, who rewrote half of the mess I had left in the first version of the chapter.

The chapter has a couple of quotes taken directly from Rowling's Prisoner of Azkaban. I didn't mark them as not to break the form and flow.


	2. The Moon

**Disclaimer**: Still not my Potter.

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter II

The Moon

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

_He was running through the silent forest. His light paws made almost no sound at all. The moon was shining through the branches, calling him further the path. He could smell somebody familiar getting nearer. It was a scent of a pack._

_The forest ended abruptly, and he froze in the bushes, his muzzle poking outside._

_It smelled of dirt and humans. Children._

_His stomach growled, and he leaped forward. A quick dash and he was near the huge imposing tree. He felt eerie familiarity with this place, yet, he couldn't match the smells or sounds with ones in his memory. He could barely remember anything at all. Sniffing the air, he almost ran into a black hound. It bared teeth against him and barked. He stayed silent, watching, ready to spring back or forward, eyes jumping._

_He smelled a child again. This time he could even see him, cowering behind the black dog. He seemed vaguely familiar, although he couldn't make out the child's face._

_Snarling, he leaped forward, towards his prey. The hound stood in his way, barking viciously._

_He stroke like a true wolf, with lightning fast bite. The hound rolled away in the nick of time. He dodged its jaws and lashed out again. The hound tasted familiar._

_They started moving in half circles, the hound always between him and the child. His next strike tore a huge bite of fur and meat. His opponent whined and ran._

_He stood in front of the child, who moved his hands trying to defend the face._

_It didn't help._

_The child twitched, his throat torn open, and fell to the ground._

_"Remus," was his dying breath._

_He remembered and that bought him into the world of hurt. The taste of blood on the fangs was intoxicating. Familiar. Too familiar, even. The bleeding human had a scar on his forehead. A lightning. Harry._

_The wolf jumped back and when the child breathed his last breath, turned his head upwards and howled to the moon._

Remus shook awake from the nightmare. He barely made it to the bathroom, leaned down on a sink and threw up. He could still feel the taste of blood in his mouth.

After a few painful moments, he stood up. It was the middle of the night.

After that day, he kept dreaming of Harry. His wolf form was tearing Harry apart each night. And each night he awoke with a howl.

Harry had told him that he hadn't been bitten and Remus wanted to believe that. He couldn't. The taste of human blood haunted him like plague. How could he forget the potion? He had doomed his friend's son. How could he live with that? Lupin stepped towards the broken mirror hanging above the sink. He had broken it the first night he got out of Hogwarts. What could he do? Was there a way to make sure he hadn't? Was there a way to prove he had?

He drank a few mouthfuls of water. The stain of blood in his mouth remained. He looked in the mirror, seeing many broken reflections of himself. Remus took a shard in his hand. How could he live with himself?

A silent tap on the window broke his train of thought.

White owl. Hedwig.

Lupin opened the window, dropping the shard on the ground.

It was a small note form Harry.

Tears forming in his eyes he crumpled it and fell on his knees. How could he be so self-centred? If he did bite Harry, he would have to make sure the cub was safe. James wouldn't forgive him otherwise.

He went to his desk and took out a quill.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The boy was trashing in his bed. It was an old, uncomfortable bed, but it was better than the ground. Barely. Suddenly, his eyes opened, and an inhuman howl shook the house.

Looking around, confused, he took details of the room. It was dark, but he could make out the uneven floor and plain walls of his room. Someone was grumbling downstairs. His heart started racing. It smelled of cleaning products and hatred. He didn't know if he could smell the hatred, but he had dubbed the smell thusly. It reminded him of Snape-

The door opened with the bang.

...and Vernon. Dursley was staring at him from the corridor.

"Boy!" he was red in the face, and his fists were tense. "Stop this noise this very instant, or I'll shut you up myself."

Harry stood up from the bed, his glasses forgotten on the table.

"I'm sorry." He half growled noticing the wince his uncle made. "It won't happen again."

He could smell the fear that appeared when his uncle started thinking. He had just told them of his godfather and they were terrified of the mass murderer. Of course, he conveniently forgot to mention that Sirius was innocent. His gaze tore into Vernon's eyes.

"Uncle?"

It was threading the thin line, but Vernon just turned around and slammed the door.

Harry sighed, and sat down on the side of the bed. Hedwig was staring at him. He smiled, and she bobbled her head in response.

Without turning the lights on, he walked up to the table and took a piece of empty parchment. The letter he got from Sirius was in the view. He already knew it by heart. But he wasn't going to write him first.

To tell the truth, Harry was afraid to write anything out, so he just settled for the next best thing.

**Professor Lupin,**

**We have to talk.**

**Please find time soon,**

**Harry**

He opened Hedwig's cage and gave her the parchment.

"Please take this to Remus, alright?"

She hooted silently in response. He smiled back and ruffled her feathers a little.

He opened a window and watched the white dot in the sky until it vanished.

Leaving the window open, Harry fell on his bed, counting the cracks on the ceiling. He quickly fell asleep and had a good dream, even though he couldn't remember anything. Just the feeling of lightness and freedom remained in the morning.

Opening his eyes he saw Hedwig perched on the windowsill, with the same piece of parchment in her beak. The little piece of parchment looked creasy. The reply was written on the back of his old message, with quick, uneven letters. It seemed that Remus was nervous.

**Harry,**

**I'll be at your place in the evening.**

**Stay safe,**

**Remus**

Harry smiled trying to imagine the face of his Uncle, when Remus would came to visit. Perhaps he should tell the man that Lupin was a werewolf?

He sniffed the air again. Where was this faint smell of vomit coming from? Perhaps he had imagined it...

He headed down for breakfast.

The Dursleys had taken to mostly ignoring him, as it was evident they were deciding what stance to take. Mass-murdering relatives don't suddenly pop up most of the time. So they had to find out a safe solution for the problem.

The breakfast itself was a solemn affair, as Dudley was currently waging a war against the school's nurse and her prescribed diet. This morning, the breakfast consisted of a single grapefruit, and it looked like it would be so for each weekend breakfast they would have. Dudley was fuming, having already swallowed his quarter, which looked more like a half, really.

Harry sighed, Dudley was fat enough for him to need the diet, but Harry wasn't. In fact he felt really hungry... He figured he could write all his friends a plea for help, of course, only after the talk with Remus.

He got up and went to his room, fed up listening to Dudley's whines and Vernon's remarks on "rabbit food", which didn't help his cousin to calm down in the slightest.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry felt the familiar smell, so he put his schoolbook away and went downstairs.

A doorbell rang.

"Boy!" Vernon's voice reached him. "Go check the door!"

He only glanced at his Uncle and did exactly that.

"Professor Lupin." He smiled widely at the man. "Glad..." Harry's smile vanished. "...You could make it."

"Harry." Lupin looked even more miserable than before. His clothes were even more ragged, and his face showed that the man was not getting enough sleep.

"Boy! Who is it?" Vernon was stomping towards the entrance. "We are not buying anything," he added after noticing Lupin.

"Actually, I came to see Harry."

Vernon gave Remus a deadly glare. "Get out of my house."

"Actually, sir," Remus was holding eye contact while speaking. "It is very important."

"OUT!" he roared at them and grabbed Harry's arm.

Remus took his wand out. Vernon cringed and froze in place. "Put... that THING -!" He didn't finish as he found the end of the wand under his chin.

"Move," Lupin was stepping in and closing the door behind him. "I'll talk to Harry in his room."

"Of course, _Professor_," Harry yanked his arm out of uncle's grasp and led Lupin upstairs. "This way."

Any other time he would have been happy to see the expressions of his uncle and aunt, but this time even Dudley, who was hiding behind the sofa, didn't return the good mood he had in the morning.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Lupin was leaning at the wall near the door and Harry was sitting on his bed. It was dark, as both of them didn't bother with the lights.

Remus looked around the room. "Harry..."

His voice broke, as if he was in pain. Harry shifted uncomfortably, but waited.

"Merlin, this is difficult. I came here thinking of a few things we could do to... Be sure, I guess. But..." Lupin tore each word like pieces of flesh from himself. "It's quite _evident_ now." He breathed out. "There is only one explanation... I'm so sorry, Harry... I must have bit you."

Harry nodded, slowly, looking Remus in the eyes. Remus slumped down and sat on the floor.

"I'm sorry. I've let you down... James would kill me if-"

"Professor," Harry breathed out, speaking silently. "I'm not blaming you... And even if I cannot say for sure, I know that my father would... _understand_. It wasn't your-"

"It _is_... I forgot the potion. There is no excuse for that. And don't. Don't tell me I was distracted. Seeing Peter on the map is not an excuse... It's foolishness."

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"We will have to talk to Albus," Lupin collected himself as much as possible and continued. "There is no question that he will let you continue your studies, but..."

"Let me?"

"Harry, you now _are_ a dark creature." Remus was raking the floor with his free hand. The other was clutching his wand with so much strength the knuckles were white."You have to have the Headmaster's permission to even enter the Hogwarts grounds. For you to continue your studies he will have to inform the Board of Governors... Harry, you will find such things everywhere you go."

Harry was looking at Lupin with compassion. He had to deal with it for all his life.

"We will probably have to register you in the Ministry." He gulped at that. "That'll probably mean I will be disposed of."

"What?" Harry stood up. "They _can't_! It isn't your fault."

"Harry. Listen! It _is_ my fault. It is because of me that you are cursed. If you don't hate me now, you will hate me after your first full moon. I _bit_ you. It is an offence, punishable by death."

"This is stupid!" Harry was speaking louder and louder. "You don't have to get killed. You could run! Hide with Sirius! We even could hide that I'm a werewolf! No one would have to know!"

"What if I don't care if they kill me?"

Harry just opened his mouth and stared at him.

"What if I am tired of all this? Every month I have to make sure everyone is safe from me. Every month since I was a little kid! You can't imagine the pain I went through! And I make a mistake once and doom the only son of James!"

Remus wasn't shouting, but he was very near that.

"You think they would be happy with me? You think James would understand? He was scared of me half of the time. He was a friend out of pity. They all were! I can't even get a normal job; I can't get a normal life. You know, they could just come and off me now!"

He hit the floor with his fist and continued so silently, Harry had to listen very intently to hear everything.

"I have lied to myself for all those days, but I remember the taste of your blood. I dream of it every bloody night. I dream how I fought with Sirius. I dream how you pull your arm free and my fangs tear into it at the last moment. I dream how I run away, but then return to find you and kill you. And do you know what is worse than that? I remember the taste of your flesh and I long for it... Both in my dreams and here I am but a monster... You cannot deny it. I must be put down."

Remus slumped against the wall, his head hanging low, as if defeated by his own words. Harry knelt before him and touched his leg.

"Professor, I know it's bad. We know you hurt me and feel responsible. I cannot change that. You cannot change what was done. If you are a monster, so am I. And I _need_ you. I need _your_ help."

Remus looked up and their eyes met. "Do you really mean that?"

"Yes, sir... Please don't leave me with this _alone_."

Remus grabbed him in a hug. "Thank you, Harry... I'll try."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Remus shook his hand, muttered another silent thanks and left. Harry closed the door and turned to see his angry Uncle.

"If you think the likes of him can just come and go..."

"He will be back in week."

"Like hell he is!" Vernon grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it hard.

Harry tore Vernon's hand away from himself. "Professor Lupin is going to check up on me a few times in a month. Please don't anger him too much. He _is_ a werewolf, you know."

He could taste the fear in the air.

"Now, if there is nothing else, _uncle_, I'm going to write my godfather."

Harry started climbing the staircase, Dursley forgotten in a second. In his head he was replaying the bits of the conversation he had with Lupin.

_There isn't a good book on werewolves you could buy. The only ones for sale tell you how to find and kill one, not how to live like one. Of course, there are a few stories here and there... _So, he had to contend himself with what he heard today. _There is 'Hairy Snout, Human Heart' but I still wouldn't recommend a read. It's not exactly cheerful or informative. _He still wanted to read that someday, so he had Lupin promise to bring him his old copy on the next visit.

Harry jumped on his bed and burrowed his face in the pillow. _Harry, I'm not sure that I had good dreams before the first moon. I was scared and injured. It is unusual, but probably means nothing. _Will he dream nightmares like Remus did, after his first moon? He turned over and rolled up his sleeve. _It is most unusual that your injuries healed so fast. Perhaps Pomfrey outdid herself. We will have to ask Albus._ The headmaster would surely know something. He should have voiced his fears that night... _By the looks of things your vision is adjusting at a quick rate. It's perhaps the only good bit that comes with the curse. Just don't look at the sun. _He raised his right hand into the air, and started staring at it as if it was his first time seeing a human hand. No, a werewolf hand... Couldn't see any difference, though. _There are no foolproof ways to distinguish a werewolf from another man in his human form. You have to look for details, or... _He could tell that his own smell was different from the Dursleys. From any human. ..._smell it. It's a curious smell. Reminds me of a running wolf and the swirling wind. You'll learn to distinguish them with time...Our ability to distinguish smell is especially potent nearing the full moon. _It would get even stronger? _You have no idea how many things stink..._

He could pick up Vernon and Petunia downstairs. The trash can in the kitchen was just emptied. The fridge was full of vegetables. Dudley was upstairs, eating a hidden bar of chocolate. His stomach growled. _You'll have to eat a bit more. _At least he promised to send some food. M_eat tastes wonderful._ He was going to find the 'rabbit food' a bit more difficult than he hoped. With that though in mind he got up and went up to Hedwig.

"It'll be a tough few weeks." He opened the cage and ruffled her feathers. "But we'll manage, right?"

He got a silent hoot in response.

He sat to compose a series of letters. Hedwig perched on his shoulder already excited for the upcoming flight. He found the gesture strangely comforting.

"Smart girl."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore sat in his office, a tired old man. Fawkes was perched on his shoulder, thrilling a soothing song, but the Headmaster didn't smile.

"I've hurt him again."

Fawkes shook his head.

"Perhaps you are right." Albus rested his head on his hands. "I'll have to speak to Severus. If only he let go of his grudges..."

His talk with Remus was most distressing, having brought out the full events of the last full moon. It seemed that he failed to grasp a critical moment, and all was threatening to slip from his fingers yet again. Remus was apologetic the whole time, and was taking the blame both for the unapproved visit of Privet Drive and the reason of the problem.

Remus was broken and it only got worse when Albus had to tell the young man that Wolfsbane Potion doesn't work properly before the first moon, as it could easily do more harm than good and there was even the risk of fatality. Remus demanded to help oversee the boy during his first change. _I'll be there for him even if it kills me._ Dumbledore did value the determination his young professor showed and finally gave in.

"We'll have to bring him to Hogwarts for a day or two." He mused out loud. "Fawkes, I hope you will help an old fool?"

A strong trill brought hope back to the old heart.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

As the days passed Harry had gotten the much appreciated help from his friends. He had a box of sugar-free snacks from Hermione, some Hagrid's rock cakes and, best of all, an assortment of meat pies from Mrs. Weasley; even Lupin had brought few small packages of smoked meat, which he quickly obliterated. The food was disappearing quite fast, but at least he wasn't starving.

Remus didn't arrive yesterday, how he planed and promised. He did send a note saying that he would come the next morning, before breakfast.

Harry had woken up very early in that morning, both dreading and waiting for the professor to come quicker. A quick glance in the room told him that Hedwig was still out with a letter to Sirius. His godfather apparently was somewhere south, as Harry had received a letter from a huge tropical bird. He was glad that Sirius was resting. He couldn't even imagine Dementors on the beach, so it probably was one of the reasons for his godfather to go there.

Harry checked the clock again. It was five in the morning, and he figured Remus wouldn't turn up before six at the earliest. Tired of rolling around in the bed, he got up and opened the window.

His sense of smell didn't increase much, but now it had certain sharpness to it. Now he even could tell which neighbours were sleeping and what most of the faint traces of odour meant. He still couldn't be out of his room for too long, because the spot cleaner Petunia used reeked like death.

The street held a hint of a familiar smell, and he almost ran out half dressed. Remus probably woke up early as well and was waiting for him.

They met at the door after ten minutes. Remus was trying to smile, but it looked insincere. "Harry. Good that you are up early. Can you leave now?"

Harry looked around "What do I need to take?"

"Nothing. We'll be back tomorrow. I'll leave a note."

"I'm ready."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

They were in an unused classroom, in Hogwarts. Harry probably would have been happier if he wasn't in a huge, conjured, cage. At least he was content that Snape wasn't in the chamber... It took Remus five minutes to persuade the Headmaster that because Harry couldn't take any potions yet there wasn't any need for the potion masters presence.

The crowd, gathered to watch him as if in a muggle zoo, was small, but they all were eyeing him so much he was uncomfortable. Pomfrey had run a few tests before allowing the Headmaster to encase him for their safety. He had no idea why McGonagall had to be there, but he didn't mind.

Suddenly all noise vanished. The smells were gone. The outside of the cage stopped existing. He knew this was just a spell of Dumbledore to keep him from smelling human prey, but it still felt imposing. He knew that on the side in a smaller cage Remus was waiting with him. And as soon as they both transformed he would have company.

It was slightly cold and Harry found himself rubbing his hands together. "Is it going to happen soon?" He knew they heard him, but as they didn't answer, he figured it would. He started pacing around, nervous. The transformation of Professor Lupin was playing in his eyes. His voice was ringing in his ears. _It hurts like hell, Harry. It is a similar feeling to the cruciatus curse. I pray that you would never learn the difference. _He forgot to ask what exactly a cruciatus curse was, but he thought he had understood enough to fear the moment. It just wasn't happening.

When would he transform?

Ten minutes passed like ten hours. He was afraid that any second he would...

He felt it with his whole body, every single cell in him was whispering.

The night of the full _moon_.

He started screaming.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

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><p>Update schedule details are in the profile. Basically, I try to update every two weeks.<p> 


	3. The Wolf

**Disclaimer**: Could you please give me a little piece of Potter, cause, you know, I don't own any at all?

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter III

The Wolf

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Hedwig was holding out a letter for him. He took it, still half asleep and couldn't help but feel a little warmer. Sirius finally sent him a reply.

**Harry,**

**Remus wrote me everything. I'm flying north immediately.**

**I'll try to be there on the next moon.**

**Sirius.**

It was not the reply he had hoped for. Why did Lupin have to write Sirius? His own letter should have been enough. Harry sighed, no, perhaps Sirius would have done the same. It was foolish to return, when everybody were searching for him. If he got himself caught by Dementors... Harry shuddered.

Was there anything he could write to change his mind? Perhaps...

Even full with fear for his godfather, he did appreciate the gesture. _If someone else is beside you, it's warmer. Safer. Your father has helped to keep me sane, Sirius raised my spirits, even Peter helped._ If he wouldn't get caught... He shuddered, remembering his wolf.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Remus finished changing back first and fell on his knees before him. He grabbed a conjured blanket and put it on trembling Harry.

"It's over..." He repeated time and time again. "It's over. Harry, look at me. It's over."

Harry couldn't stop shaking.

"Harry, come back to me."

The cage they were in collapsed and Poppy stepped forward, already casting diagnostic spells and giving Remus two potions.

Harry almost choked on the wile stuff.

"It helps with the pain. Harry, it's over, relax. Stay with me. Listen to me, Harry." Remus was keeping his voice steady. "You shouldn't lose consciousness. Look at me. Please, Harry."

Seeing a glint of awareness in his eyes, Pomfrey leaned nearer. "Where does it hurt the most?"

"I'm... aching all over... bones... burning..."

"It's normal Harry, that's normal." You could hear the echoes of the pain in Remus voice. "Next time you will use the potion. It'll be easier."

"What is... that... _horrible_...?"

"Medicine," Pomfrey smiled at him. "Now drink this."

If Harry had the strength he would have ran.

Ten minutes later he felt a bit better, "Remus?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"You forgot to mention that the potions stink _that_ much."

Remus managed a weak smile. "Sorry."

A soft phoenix song made both of them jump in surprise. At first Harry felt very uncomfortable, but with each second he listened, his aches seemed to soften. Fawkes perched on his shoulder and ruffled his hair with his beak. Harry breathed in. The phoenix smelled... of _fire_, strength, valour...

"Thank you, Fawkes." Albus spoke softly and slowly as not to disturb the aftermath of the magical song. "Harry, allow me to express my sympathies. I urge you to find peace in all you experience. It has bought no joy to reject and fear the changes. Man is a creature that always prevails."

"With all due respect, Headmaster, I am no longer a man." Harry could taste his own disappointment.

"My boy, as I have already told you, it is our choices that show what we truly are. I am confident that you have a potential to be even more of a man than many wizards..." Albus touched the phoenix lightly. He put his other hand on Harry's shoulder. "Your life is very hard, but as they all say, light is found even in the darkest places. Harry, you will find yourself yet. Fawkes trusts you. I believe in you."

Harry swallowed uncomfortably. "Thank you, sir. I do not know if I understand, but I'll think about it."

"Good. Now you should rest for a few hours, and then Remus will take you home." Albus let him go and started turning.

"Sir?" Harry's gaze made Albus stop. "What will... can we tell others?"

"Harry, I won't forbid you to tell anyone, just bear in mind, that if this gets out too far, Remus will have to disappear for quite a while."

"Sir, couldn't we say that someone else bit me?"

"We could try. But I think you will agree that it would be even better if we didn't have to. Now, Harry, is there anything else?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Ron mentioned that... I mean, if they ask for me to come visit, could I?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled for a second. "I can't seem to find a reason why you shouldn't?"

"But, I'm _dangerous_."

"I beg to disagree. The fact that you are afraid of harming your friends proves it. Now, my dear boy, I would think that we should give you back to Madam Pomfrey, because otherwise she will be quite furious with me."

And indeed an angry Poppy quickly dragged Harry into the bed in the very same classroom. He hadn't noticed it before. "But I thought I shouldn't sleep?" He yawned, noticing the exhaustion he had. Fawkes glided from his shoulder and landed on the bedpost.

"That was just after the transformation. You had to be awake for potions to take effect. They have. Now will you go to sleep, or do I have to give you something so you would?"

As soon as he put his head on the pillow, the world was gone.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The Headmaster motioned for Remus to join him for the walk to his office, once they both were outside.

"What can you say, Albus?"

"It is a curious case. It seems well within the... expectations, but at the same time we all can feel Harry is different on some level."

"Is that...?"

"I do believe that it is not a bad thing. Nor any more dangerous than the usual condition." Albus had a twinkle in his eyes and answered the next question before it was even asked. "I cannot tell you why it is so. I, contrary to the popular belief, do not know or think about everything. Your guesses are as good as mine. Was it because he had only been scratched by the wolf?" Remus cringed at that. "Was it because of the time turner? I don't think there was an exact case compared to his, and if there was, I doubt there is some information we could use. We'll just have to observe. It might still be nothing."

"What about his transformation?"

"It took longer, but fell within what we could think of. I think it was the way of the wolf catching up for the night of the full moon Harry didn't transform in. I'm sad to say that it might have been worse than usual transformations go, but we cannot be sure of that."

"And his sight, do you think it will remain so?"

Albus nodded. "Please tell young Harry that he shouldn't do everything in the dark. It could attract unwanted attention... Well, we seem to have reached my destination. I know you would like to return to Harry now, but please at least consider having some sleep yourself." When he finished, Remus was already at the end of the corridor. Albus smiled at young man's determination.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry lay flat on his back, breathing hard as though he had been running. He had awoken from a vivid dream with his hands pressed over his face. The old scar on his forehead, which was shaped like a bolt of lightning, was burning beneath his fingers as though someone had just pressed a white-hot wire to his skin.

He sat up, one hand still on his scar, and to his own surprise, he started chuckling. All the thoughts in the last few days were filled with fear the coming pain. It was almost a break from the haunting feeling of inevitability. Harry ran his fingers over the scar again. He laughed loudly, relieving the tension. It wasn't a happy laugh, but it did help him. The pain didn't even start to compare to... He stopped and sniffed around for a second. Everyone was asleep. Hedwig was across the street, stalking after some poor little rodent. Should he tell someone?

He ran through the options, finally arriving at Lupin and Sirius. He would see them soon. The topic would take his mind of... Harry shuddered, remembering the sound of his own snapping bones, which his keen hearing had amplified. _I won't lie to you, Harry – first time is usually the worst._ It wouldn't be as bad this time. It won't. He would have Sirius beside him. He would have them both. Remus helped him a lot that night. Sirius would too. It would all be better; he would drink the potion...

That brought his mind to Snape. Snape would be coming to visit him in the evening. It wasn't a pleasant thought. He hoped he wouldn't be poisoned. Perhaps he would get lucky and Snape and Vernon would kill each other.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The letter from Molly got the Dursleys worried up. Vernon had only complained that the damned freaks are always messing in his life, but did not raise much alarm. Harry's _condition_ meant weekly visits, and as Lupin was usually arriving early or late, his uncle did fear the man. Harry did wonder if on the next visit Lupin would bring the black dog, but it wasn't his main concern. Weasley family was. The letter from Ron told him they would be taking him at five in any case. And Lupin was supposed to take him to Hogwarts at six.

He ran upstairs and composed a quick note.

**Professor Lupin,**

**Weasleys are going to take me at five tomorrow. What do we do?**

**Harry**

He tied it to Hedwig's leg. "Please hurry, Lupin needs to get it before tomorrow."

With an insulted hoot, as if to say that she could make it, she took off. Harry still was worried. Hermione was smart. She would notice something. Should he tell it as soon as there is a chance, or would he still try to hide it?

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Boy!" there was a scream from downstairs which shook him out of his thoughts. Snape was here. He rushed downstairs, ignoring the fuming Vernon. There were lots of fumes, but his uncle was too afraid to try anything these days.

"Potter," Snape followed with a familiar snare. "Hurry up, you stupid boy, I don't have all night."

He could hear Vernon smiling behind his back.

"Drink this."

He took the goblet and it almost knocked him back - the stench was horrific.

"Faster, Potter, it must be consumed swiftly."

He downed the vile concoction. It tasted much worse than it reeked. He gulped for air a few times. How could Remus drink that at all? His legs wobbled and his stomach growled, and after a second he barfed everything back right there in the hall.

He was coughing violently when Snape backhanded him on the side of his head.

"Imbecile, can't you even perform a simple task like drinking a potion?" Snape ignored Harry's heated glare and continued. "Luckily for you, Potter, I have made and extra batch for just the occasion." He poured the goblet full of steaming fluid again. "Drink."

Harry braced himself for the worst and tried again. This time he gulped the potion faster and even when his insides screamed for mercy he managed to hold it inside.

"I warn you, Potter, _if_ you do this kind of thing _again_, you will have to make do without the potion. It is a difficult and expensive potion to brew and you _won't_ be spoiling _my_ ingredients. Do you _understand_, Potter?"

He nodded, hoping that Snape would drop dead right before his eyes. He didn't.

"Tomorrow I'll give you the potion when you arrive. And Potter?"

"Yes..." It came out with a growl. "sir?"

"Clean after yourself. You stink."

He turned around, his cloak billowing behind and slammed the door.

Vernon was grinning. "Boy! Clean this up, now!"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He should have told Snape. It was an idea he never imagined he would have. If he had told Snape, he wouldn't have been worrying all day. What if Hedwig was late? Remus would come an hour late and would have to go through the trouble of finding him. He was not yet prepared to tell the Weasleys everything.

It was a quarter past five and there was no sight of either Remus or Weasleys. Suddenly he smelled fire and someone that reminded him of Ron. It was a man and that probably meant Mr. Weasley.

It was coming from the living room. He made it just as Vernon started screaming.

After a few moments of chaos, he managed to explain that the fireplace was blocked.

BANG.

The electric fire shot across the room as the boarded-up fireplace burst outward, expelling Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, and Ron in a cloud of rubble and loose chippings. Aunt Petunia shrieked and fell backward over the coffee table; Uncle Vernon caught her before she hit the floor, and gaped, speechless, at the Weasleys, all of whom had bright red hair, including Fred and George, who were identical to the last freckle.

There was a shout outside and Harry head Remus running inside through the door he must have smashed open to get in.

Both Arthur and Lupin pointed their wands at each other.

"Arthur?"

"Remus?"

Both men wore identical confused faces. Fred and George were snickering and Dursleys were wishing they lived in Australia. Ron was gaping, open mouthed at the scene.

Harry started laughing like mad. It was a first true laugh he had since his transformation. He was cracking up at Ron's expression, at Dudley, who looked scared for his life. The twins couldn't hold it too, so the room soon filled with laughter.

Both Remus and Arthur were apologising for the damage they caused and were already on the way of fixing everything.

Arthur turned back to them, leaving Remus to worry about Dursleys.

"Harry, I'm sorry for making a mess in your house. Could you get your trunk?"

"It's upstairs."

"We'll get it," said Fred at once. Still sniggering, he and George left the room.

Arthur gave a glance at Lupin. "Harry, were you expecting for Mr. Lupin to come today?"

"I'm sorry, sir." Harry was slightly nervous. "I just didn't find a way to inform you beforehand. We..."

Lupin interrupted him. "I'm here because of Albus. I tried to reach you, but your Floo was in use. Now I see why," His eyes betrayed a hint of amusement. "when I heard the explosion, I rushed in, without thinking."

Arthur nodded in thought.

"I'll have to steal Harry for the evening, I'm afraid."

"But, the game?" Ron was terrified of Harry missing the Cup.

"Don't worry; Harry will be back in the early morning."

"Molly made supper." Mr. Weasley was looking at Remus. "Perhaps you could join us and leave afterwards?"

Remus considered it for a second.

"We do have almost half an hour, but..."

Harry was torn. On one hand he wanted to see the Weasleys, but on the other, he really didn't want to eat anything before the potion or the transformation. He did see Ron and the twins, maybe that would be enough... And he would see them in the morning. He gave a small shake of his head, which only Remus caught.

"...it really would be a bad idea to be late."

Ron looked at Harry disbelievingly. "Could you still come to say 'hi'?"

Harry smiled. "Yes, but it would be even harder to leave. Look, we'll just have to talk in the morning."

The twins came down with Harry's trunk. Having heard some bits of the conversation they piped in:

"Harry, what do you mean by that?"

"Are you not coming for supper –"

"– with the family?"

Harry scratched his head uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, just..."

Mr. Weasley tried to break the uncomfortable ordeal.

"Never mind that, at least we got his things. He will be joining us for breakfast, right, Harry?" He continued without waiting for the confirming nod. "Now, Fred, George, floo home and put the trunk in Ron's room, will you? George, you go first, and Fred can bring the trunk."

The twins, still upset that Harry wasn't coming, complied.

Ron shook hands with Harry. "Mate, we'll see you at breakfast, sad that you won't greet Hermione till then." He leaned closer and started whispering. "It's about you-know-who?"

Harry looked around seeing cleaning the living room from dust, and Dursleys cowering in the far corner. "No, I'm going to speak with my godfather."

Ron grinned at that, content with the answer. "Good luck, Harry," he whispered and stepped into the fire.

Lupin tapped on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Arthur, I'm going to leave you finish cleaning the mess."

"Don't worry Remus, it was my fault."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The vile taste still in his mouth he was shaking and counting in his head. Sirius was trying to distract him, but the conversation seemed so artificial that he needn't have bothered. Remus was sitting with them both, but was quiet for most of the time. A few minutes before he had mentioned his scar and Sirius dragged every little detail out of him. It was a little strange that Voldemort was used as a distraction. Perhaps thinking in the same vein, Lupin shifted the conversation to James and their school years.

When Albus entered the room, Sirius was telling a tale of their fourth year. "... and then, McGonagall looks up and just stands there gaping, and James asks her with a straight face, if she had seen what the _mice_ we were supposed to get are _up_ to..." He winked at Harry and turned to Albus. "Is it time already?"

"I believe James got an additional detention for that joke alone." Albus was smiling. "Don't mind me, continue." He started conjuring the cage – a single one for all three of them. The outside world disappeared.

Sirius just scratched his already fading scars and fell silent.

Harry sat on the floor and closed his eyes.

He heard Remus cringe and tried to concentrate on two familiar smells. His godfather shifted into the hound. His scent changed drastically, but the main odour remained strong and warm.

He was not alone. They cared for him. He was not...

His body twitched and it took all his willpower not to scream. Sirius couldn't hear that, it would tear into him even worse than his current convulsions...

Later, when he could compare it, he would say that there was one little difference between the cruciatus curse and the pain of the transformation. The curse made each and every part of your body hurt. Here, every cell of his body screamed in pain and twisted violently.

His bones shattered and knit themselves together in the matter of seconds. The wolf started howling. Soon, the other one joined the choir. Even Padfoot sat and howled with them.

The potion should have held his mind intact. Harry didn't feel any difference. He was a passenger to the wolf, who got free and howled of their pain to the world.

Remus was right. Having them both here was warmer and safer. But he just couldn't grasp of his wolf and bring his mind out. _It's difficult to explain, Harry. When you transform, you could say that your inner wolf lets himself out. You are a passenger, perhaps a companion, but nothing more. It is like running side by side with the wolf, watching. _Harry could certainly feel that. His wolf was out and near him._ With the potion, you are able to push him aside, to establish human dominance. You never get to steer him fully nor are as in control as an animagus, but the dominance makes the world of difference._ He just didn't get what he was supposed to be doing. Perhaps it would come naturally...

On the last full moon night, he had thrashed around, a violent wolf, hungry and set on destroying the world. He had even attacked Lupin and took countless bites of him. He barely remembered anything but the taste of wolf flesh and Remus silent compliance. The remaining night was spending running around, trying to find a gap and barging himself to the walls of his cage. It was as if all had happened in a heavy fog.

This time, the only difference he felt was that the whole thing seemed clearer. But only a little. The warmth of his companions eased the pain. The wolf was now fully outside. He knew that it wouldn't kill Sirius, but that didn't mean the wolf couldn't decide to grab a bite of the black dog. Harry reached out and tried to force the wolf to comply. It didn't help.

Perhaps the potion was faulty? Maybe the delay in drinking the first dose had taken its tall? The wolf lashed out at Sirius. The hound tried to jump away, but got bit in the side. Remus was staying back. The wolf snarled. Harry could feel it wanting to establish dominance in the pack. That was a though in the right direction, at least he thought it was. Remus had told him something about that... _You must learn what the wolf thinks. There are prey, enemies and pack. Anything else isn't worth noting. You must make him think that all humans are below notice. You must learn to tell him who is in your pack. _He couldn't help but wonder of those who Remus held as his pack. Was his father an _alpha_ for Lupin?

He couldn't get sidetracked. The wolf was circling Sirius, who, it seemed, hadn't yet decided if he should choose to run or fight. They are my pack. He tried thinking the thought. It didn't help. He almost could see his human part, trying to get between the wolf and its prey. **Wrong**. His godfather. His elder. His **pack**. **He is in my pack!** **My pack**! The wolf slowed down and backed away a little. Sirius got visibly calmer. **He is of my pack! They both are! **Harry wondered if that was the dominance Remus talked about. The tension in the cage was dropping.

The wolf moved towards Sirius, looked at the little bleeding wound he made, sniffed it. Sirius was standing still, ready to jump away. The wolf took out his tongue and licked the wound. Padfoot barked happily. Moony came closer and nudged the wolf in the side. They were his pack.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The wolf woke up with a startled yelp. Padfoot was at his one side and Moony on his other. It was **warm**. He started shaking. Moony jumped up and started howling. The world erupted in flames.

Harry found himself laying flat on the cold floor. Padfoot was licking his arm. Pomfrey was casting something. Remus leaned to him, potion in his hands. "Harry?"

All he managed was a grunt.

"Drink this, Harry. It is over."

He sat up, coughing. Sirius transformed and sat on his left side, hand over the shoulder.

"Now, that wasn't that bad, was it?"

Lupin hit Black in the shoulder. "Sirius!"

Harry smiled at them. "You helped me a lot. Thanks."

"You had me scared for a moment there, Harry." Sirius was putting all his effort to make him hold the smile. "When those fangs flashed, I seriously considered running like a cowardly dog."

Remus groaned. "Harry, now tell me, was it hard to start dominating the wolf?"

He hesitated. "I don't know. I'm not sure what I was supposed to be trying to achieve. The wolf listened to me when I wanted to stop from biting Padfoot again. Other than that it didn't feel as different." Seeing the thoughtful look, he couldn't help but ask. "Was it supposed to be very different?"

Black paled. "You mean to tell me, that there was a possibility of the kid losing control?" He mock glared at Lupin to hide his concern. "Next time, please tell me that _before_ locking me in a cage with two werewolves."

Before they could start an argument Albus approached. "Harry, now this is an important issue. Did it feel any different?"

Harry fell deep in thought. "I can't honestly tell... Something was different, but I can't really tell what. The fog was clearer and I could feel the wolf better. But he was reluctant in obeying me. Perhaps I was doing it wrong, sir?"

"There is no true right way, my boy, at least not one I know of. It is strange that you felt the wolf clearer as it was supposed to be the opposite, but we will just have to watch your next change again. Please try to remember every difference next time, Harry. Speak with Remus whenever you both can. Now, I believe, you have your friends waiting for you. I'm sorry to inform you that you have missed half of the breakfast. Remus, could you please lend Mr. Potter a hand?"

Harry stood heavily. "I think I still need a few minutes to start thinking straight. Better yet a few days…"

"Ah, but we cannot have young Mr. Weasley worry about you missing the game, can we?" Albus paused "Don't worry, my boy, we will wait for an hour or two. You'll still be in time for your half of breakfast."

Harry sighed as Pomfrey swooped over to him.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter had few small quotes taken directly from Rowling's Goblet of Fire. I didn't mark them as not to break the flow.<p> 


	4. The Truth

**Disclaimer**: Would take rights to Harry Potter as a gift.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter IV

The Truth

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry and Remus arrived with a loud pop, just outside the Burrow. Harry was disoriented for a second, and wondered just how Remus could endure the night and be the first one standing. He admired Moony for his strength.

"Oh hello, Harry, dear." Mrs. Weasley opened the door. "Come in, come in. We were just planning to have breakfast."

He lowered his gaze to the ground. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

Remus shook his shoulder a little. "Well, Harry, I'll be..."

"Remus," Molly was smiling like a predator. "could you join us for breakfast too?"

"Molly, I'm flattered, but I don't want to intrude..."

"Nonsense, you were working for Albus, probably got so worked up, you didn't even get supper yesterday. I insist."

She all but dragged them both inside.

The kitchen was unusually empty and silent, beside Mrs. Weasley, Harry and Remus there were only three red-haired people. Two of them Harry had never seen before, though he knew immediately who they must be: Bill and Charlie, the two eldest Weasley brothers.

"How're you doing, Harry?" said the nearer of the two, grinning at him and holding out a large hand, which Harry shook, feeling calluses and blisters under his fingers. This had to be Charlie, who worked with dragons in Romania. Charlie was built like the twins, shorter and stockier than Percy and Ron, who were both long and lanky. He had a broad, good-natured face, which was weather-beaten and so freckly that he looked almost tanned; his arms were muscular, and one of them had a large, shiny burn on it. His scent was one of fire and burned leather.

Bill got to his feet, smiling, and also shook Harry's hand. Bill came as something of a surprise. Harry knew that he worked for the wizarding bank, Gringotts, and that Bill had been Head Boy at Hogwarts; Harry had always imagined Bill to be an older version of Percy: fussy about rule-breaking and fond of bossing everyone around.

However, Bill was – there was no other word for it – cool. He was tall, with long hair that he had tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing an earring with what looked like a fang dangling from it. Bill's clothes would not have looked out of place at a rock concert, except that Harry recognized his boots to be made, not of leather, but of dragon hide.

Percy was just reading some papers and only nodded at the guests. Lupin moved to shake offered hands, smiling at the older brothers. He wasn't used to people accepting him quickly.

"Where is everyone else?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

"Arthur and the others left earlier in the morning." Molly was putting a plate before him. "You missed them by couple of hours. That reminds me, you didn't make it to the portkey... Someone will have to take you Side-Along. Bill, perhaps you..."

Remus piped in, "Molly, I'll take him. We have done it few times already."

This earned him a smile from Mrs. Weasley. "Perfect. Now, dig in."

Harry had to try really hard to swallow, but all in all, with each bite he was getting better. When they were close to finishing, Bill looked at him for the third time this meal, and, seemingly having worked up his curiosity, asked. "By the way, Harry, I always figured you wore glasses."

They had forgotten his fake glasses Dumbledore made for him. Harry almost started cursing. Lupin choked on his food and had to reassure Molly that he was alright.

Harry silently thanked him for the seconds he had won. "I'm trying out contact lenses."

"What are those, Harry?" Charlie piped in.

"It's a muggle thing." He struggled trying to remember everything he had heard about them. "It's a small invisible lens that goes into the eyes. They act the same as glasses otherwise."

"How wonderful really," Molly was beaming at him, "It's strange that I didn't even notice at first. It looks good for you, because everyone can clearly see your beautiful eyes."

Harry blushed at that. Remus started to relax.

Bill was deep in thought. "Could you take one out and show me? They sound really interesting..."

"Um..." the panic came back on. "Look, Bill, I'd love to, but it's really difficult for me to take them out or put them in. It will get easier with practise, but... You know, it is one of the reasons why we missed the first breakfast. Perhaps I'll stick to the glasses for most of the time, even."

"Never mind it then. I'll look them up myself."

Harry forced his way through the rest of the meal. Hermione would catch him in a heartbeat. What would he have to do? Still, he figured he had to let in both her and Ron in on his secret. He just didn't think it would have to be this soon.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The apparition point was bustling with wizards. The shouts, the flags and the crowd were swirling around in a mesmerising pattern. The smells that assaulted Harry were numerous and he even had trouble standing straight.

Lupin stroked his hair. "Relax, Harry, it'll pass soon."

Harry straightened himself.

"See, it's alright... Well, I'll see you next time." He looked at Bill, who had just appeared nearby, "Good luck, Harry."

"Thanks, Moony"

A loud pop marked Lupin's disappearance.

Bill looked around for his brothers and Harry. "I'm going to ask Basil where our family is," he pointed at the man wearing a kilt and a poncho. "Then we'll try to find them in this mess."

Percy had ignored that and rushed forward, probably noticing someone he knew. Charlie went with Bill, and Harry found himself alone in a crowd of unknown wizards. He inhaled the scents again and smiled as he recognised one. Ron. Without thinking much, he went to that direction.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

As he arrived to the source of the faint trail, he saw no Weasleys there. It was just a water tap, where a huge queue was waiting. He sniffed again trying to guess the time and realized he was at most fifteen minutes late.

He turned to go in the way they came from, and almost ran into a girl. A pretty girl, in fact.

She turned around to face him and her eyes widened.

"Harry?"

He gulped nervously. "Hello... Cho."

She traced her gaze all over him, taking in his tired pose and settling on his eyes. Harry couldn't help but shiver from the gaze. He hoped she didn't catch him at that.

"Where are your glasses?"

Her voice seemed to awaken him a little. "I'm... trying out contacts." He might as well stick to the story.

"You should wear them all the time." She was feeling almost as embarrassed as him. "Your eyes look very..." The blush crept into her face for a second. "Handsome."

"Thank you..." Harry hoped his face wasn't as scarlet as he felt it was. "Cho."

She smiled at him. There was a strange aroma in the air he found almost enchanting. It was mixed up with something that was making his nose itch a little. Harry barely stopped himself from starting to sniff her to get a clearer understanding.

"Have you seen any of the Weasleys?" he asked, trying to distance his thoughts from the itch.

"Are you looking for, what's his name, Ronald? Why do you need him?"

"You see..." Harry ruffled his hair, fearing that he looked like an idiot. "I was supposed to find their tent, but I seem to have gone in the wrong way."

"You got lost?"

He winced. "No, but... I mean... I know they are somewhere there..." He motioned towards the side he could smell the trail going to. "But it's taking me longer to find them than I had hoped..."

"You got lost." She was grinning at him. "So, the great Harry Potter can't find his way in a camp site?"

"Please don't call me that" He said it a bit harsher than he wanted to. He could swear he felt the wolf stir with his annoyance.

"Sorry?" Cho looked confused. "I meant it as a joke."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have overreacted. It's the lack of sleep talking." Harry was hurriedly reassuring her. "It's just that everyone calls me great for no reason. Everything I want is just to be Harry."

"I'm not sure I understand..." She looked into his eyes again. "You really don't want the fame?"

"No."

"Strange. Many people would give so much to be in your place..."

He laughed at that. The laugh was so fake and ironic, that Chang cringed. "They really shouldn't wish for that."

They fell silent for a few uncomfortable seconds.

"I think I saw Ronald going that way." She pointed at the same direction he had. "Hermione and his little sister were with him. He was carrying a huge bucket of water, so their tent shouldn't be far..."

"Thank you, Cho." He almost started to walk away when her question stopped him.

"Who do you think will win the Cup?"

"I'm sorry." He felt really stupid saying that as he tried to remember the countries playing. "I don't really know any players from Ireland nor from..." His gaze went to flag a few tents to the side. He blinked. White, green, and red; it didn't help.

"Bulgaria. Are you sure that you like quidditch at all, Harry?"

"It's just that I have been very busy these days..." he trailed off uncomfortably.

"You'll have to tell me sometime."

Harry just blinked at that.

"Look, I'll help you. When someone from Bulgaria asks, just say that Victor Krum is an excellent Seeker and will probably catch the Snitch again. If they are wearing shamrocks, tell them that their Chaser line is incredibly strong." She smiled warmly. "That way everyone will be happy with your expertise."

He snickered at that. "I'll keep it in my mind. But I really should go, they might get worried. Later, Cho."

"See you, Harry."

He inhaled deeply, both taking in her scent and looking for the trail of Ron.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He found them near the fire where the tasty smell of roasting meat assaulted his already growling stomach.

"Harry!" Ron saw him first and jumped up, waiving. "Over here!"

Hermione waved to him as he was getting neared and he waved back. This caused Ginny, who was standing next to the fire, go scarlet.

Fred and George suddenly were near him and grabbed him on his arms.

"Now, you little liar –"

"– of a friend. Tell us one good reason why you are late or better yet..."

"Tell us why you shouldn't be pranking you into the next week?"

Harry struggled a bit. "I'm sorry."

"It's a good start, but not good enough."

Harry resorted to his last chance. "Did I ever tell you who the marauders were?"

"Your terms are acceptable." George let him go first and leaned in to listen.

"Speak," Fred didn't let go him yet.

"Boys!" Came Mr. Weasley's voice, "stop the ruckus. Hello there, Harry. Where are the others?"

Percy chose this moment to appear. "Just Apparated, Dad." He saw Harry being held by the twins. "You two! Do you think it funny to steal Harry from our noses? Bill and Charlie are searching all over for him."

"Whoa, there, Perce." Fred glared at him. "Why did you think it was us?"

"Good job Harry." George was slapping him on the back. Harry even winced, he was still sore from the night. "We knew you had it in you."

"Harry!" Hermione had reached them and looked at him with disappointment.

"I'm sorry."

"You do say that awfully lot these days," Fred noted. "Do you even have any other words?"

"Are you wearing contacts?" Hermione leaned a bit closer.

"Yes," he lied. "I am."

"What's that now? Harry, blimey, where are your glasses?" Ron was already shaking his arm.

"He just answered that." Hermione huffed at him. "He's wearing contacts. Brilliant idea there, Harry."

"What are those?" George asked curiously, perhaps thinking if they could use that in some way.

"And where did you put our other brothers?" Fred smirked.

Harry smiled. "I already explained it once for Bill. Here he comes; you could ask him."

Everyone turned around to see Bill berating Charlie on the way. "I told you I'll go ask. Did you have to come with me? Do you know what mum will do to you once she knows you lost Harry?"

"I lost him? _You_ went there to speak to Basil with your head raised and didn't even spare the glance at Potter. _You _lost... Harry" Charlie finished staring at Harry, surrounded by his younger brothers.

Bill sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "So... let's eat lunch?"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry found himself in a tent, which looked more like a small flat. There was such a strong odour of cats, that his eyes almost started watering. Hermione and Ron took him there under the pretence of showing him everything.

He coughed a few times and rubbed his eyes, missing Hermione's question. "Say that again?"

She huffed. "Harry, where were you yesterday?"

"Yeah, what did you have to speak with Sirius for?"

He gulped and started scratching his nose, fighting the annoying scent. His wolf was shifting around, uncomfortably.

"And why did you lie about contact lenses? Usually you can see them in the eyes from up close..."

He sighed looking at Hermione, "I figured you would catch it soon..." he paused to try and catch breath as the words came out hard. "It's... Do you remember the night we met Sirius?"

Ron nodded. Harry felt as if the wolf was judging them. Were they his pack? He quelled the feelings of mistrust and weariness. He could trust his friends with anything. At least he hoped so.

"When I said that he bit my arm, it was only half of the truth... I... that is..." He coughed and shifted his feet uncomfortably, afraid of his friends reactions. His words were silent, almost a whisper. "Moony bit me too."

Hermione covered her mouth and stared at him in surprise. "Impossible." she whispered so silently Harry was sure only he had hear it.

Ron was stammering, "But... Ha... What?"

"And yesterday." her eyes looked thoughtful, and she didn't lower her hand while speaking. "There was a full moon?"

"WHAT? No, Harry, you can't be! It's wrong!" Ron's eyes were filled with fear.

"But I am."

"No, no…" Ron was slightly shaking. "My best mate _can't_ be a _werewolf_!"

Harry coughed again. The old cat scent was getting to him. He could barely distinguish the smells of confusion and fear, and there was only a faint aroma of parchment and breakfast. He imagined he could feel the faint scents of grass and strawberries, in addition to grasping the trail of the different crowds outside, but it all was hidden under the fat blanket of cats.

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione was looking a little bit more composed already as she started worrying.

"It's just that these cats really, really _stink.._."

Ron grabbed his hand. "Please tell me it was a joke. A cruel joke."

"Ron, I'm sorry..." Harry flinched at the touch and Ron jumped back. "It is true. And I'm really sore because of yesterday."

Ron gazed at him intensely. "Look, mate..." The words felt a little fake and distant. "I'll have to think about it." He took a step backwards. "I'm sorry, Harry..." His gaze went to Hermione and back to Harry. Then, he turned around and left the room they were in, probably heading outside.

Hermione was fighting back her tears. "Harry..." She breathed out with a sob. "Why does it always happen to you?"

It took all his willpower to smile at her. "It's not that bad, actually. It even fixed my eyes."

"You are lying..."

"No, it really did fix my eyes."

"Oh, Harry, you know what I mean." She took a step forward and wrapped him in a hug.

He winced again and she released him.

"Sorry" they both said at the same time. Her eyes were glittering with tears.

"Harry –" there came a shout and they both turned to see twins entering.

"Is it a bad time?" Fred looked thoughtful for a second. "We wanted to ask about the thing you promised..."

Hermione whipped her tears and looked at Harry, questioningly. He looked at the twins in surprise. "What?"

"About Marauders?" George looked insulted by the question. "Do you forget everything this easily?"

"It's just... I'm a bit sleepy today, guys." He heard Hermione sniff at that, but continued, "I did promise to tell you... Do you remember Ron's rat?"

"Harry?" Hermione asked as the twins nodded.

He gave all of them another superficial smile. "I trust you to hold a secret, alright?"

"Of course, Harry, you –"

"– are our favourite non-Weasley..."

"Sorry, Hermione." Fred finished bowing at her.

They all smiled at that. Even Harry did.

"It all began with three friends finding out a secret of the fourth..." And Harry spun a tale Sirius told him yesterday. He mentioned the animagus transformations and Moony's little furry problem, and quickly went on to tell the tale of the last year, omitting the bite he suffered. Nearing the end, Hermione piped in a few times to add some details of the night. He told them of Sirius and Peter, James and Remus. He probably wouldn't have told as much, but when Ron left, he was feeling faint and he felt that telling some part of his secrets would help him a bit.

"So," George was scratching his head in thought. "You mean to tell us, that we lived with Wormtail in our home and Sirius Black is both Padfoot and your godfather."

"And, don't forget, oh brother of mine, we had Moony for a professor for a year."

"No wonder we only got him once."

Harry grinned at that. It really did feel better to tell them this. He knew he hadn't made a mistake.

"So, yesterday, you were probably speaking with Padfoot?"

Harry let out a small laugh. "Yes. And he told me how my father got a week of detentions from McGonagall..."

"You'll really have to tell us someday. But now we should really go and look around."

"There should be all kinds of stuff for sale –"

"– we will only look at." Fred was radiating good mood. "When you were in the tent with Ron, you missed Ludo Bagman –"

"– you know, the Head of Magical Games and Sports... We bet him that Krum catches the Snitch, but Ireland wins."

"What did your father say?" Hermione inquired curiously.

"What could he say? It was our money."

"Been saving them for a long time, though..."

"So, are we all going out or will you two stay here?"

They were crawling out of the tent when George asked "By the way, what did you say to Ginny that she darted back to the girl's tent like Krum chasing a Snich?"

"Or was it the little git of our brother? He got that look he usually has when he's done something wrong."

Harry and Hermione changed worried glances and she muttered, "we'll speak to them."

"Look Harry, if our little git gives you trouble for no reason..."

"Just tell me or my a little less handsome twin brother." Fred got hit on his head for that. "Alrighty?"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Hermione returned and grabbed his arm. This time he managed to stay calm and let her drag him into the smaller tent.

"She heard Ron."

Harry sighed. "And?"

"I think you should talk with her."

"But, Hermione..."

"She will listen to you. Please, Harry, she's panicking a little and we have to make sure she won't tell everyone..."

They were in front of the bathroom door. She leaned forward and tapped on the wood a few times. "Ginny?" Hermione felt silent for a second, and Harry could hear a faint sob from inside. Hermione obviously couldn't as she continued, "are you there?"

"Go away."

"Ginny, I've bought Harry..."

There was no answer. Hermione nudged him forward and hissed in his ear. "Talk with her. I'll look if someone is coming." Without waiting for an answer, she left and went to the room nearer to the entrance.

Harry took a deep breath and tapped the bathroom door twice. This tent didn't stink of cats, so he could discern each scent with clarity. The tent had no kitchen and was very clean even if a bit old. There was an aroma of tears, pain, broom polish, fresh parchment, Hermione, and Ginny; a trail of his wolf, a swirl of wind, Weasleys from outside, a rarely used cot, and a flowery shampoo...

"Harry?" There was a mutter so silent, he almost didn't catch it.

"It's me." He could hear her jump in surprise.

"You heard me?" Her words were silent and the bathroom door didn't help much. But they were loud enough for him to hear.

"Hello, Ginny..." He sat down by the door, getting closer to the gap under the door. He could feel her sitting there, her red hair squashed against the door, and her back to him, eyes filled with tears. The smell was slightly salty.

He had to wait a few seconds to hear an answer. "Hi." She sobbed. "Harry."

Harry couldn't understand why Hermione wanted _him_ to talk with Ginny. How could he understand why Ginny was crying? "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" He could probably understand why everyone was making faces when he said the same thing.

She breathed slowly. He could hear her shifting lightly to the side. "It's just..."

"Hermione said that you heard Ron..."

"Is it true? Are you?"

"Yes." He breathed out, shifting closer to the door. "Ginny, I won't lie to you, there is a reason to be scared of me. And I..." he swallowed, "understand."

"Harry? It's not why I'm upset."

"It isn't?" Now he was confused even more. "Why are you then?"

"It's just so unfair... Your parents... You... And you're still saving everyone."

"Not everyone." He tried to protest, a little.

"You saved me, even when you didn't know me at all..."

"You are Ron's sister. Of course I would try to save you." He sniffed to check if someone was coming. No one was. "You are my best friend's sister." It hurt him a little saying that, as Ron had walked out on him minutes before. He hoped he would have his friend back.

"But he's such a git sometimes..." As she was talking, he couldn't help but snigger at the quip at Ron. "And you still barely know me..."

"You know, you could try talking to me."

She shifted again. "I'm afraid..." It was so silent he didn't think she wanted to him to hear that. But he still answered.

"Did you fear professor Lupin too?"

She didn't answer. He could hear her breathing unevenly.

"Look, Ginny, I like your family a lot." He sniffed the air again, smelling the broom polish and sea salt. And a faint trace of strawberries which he must have imagined. "You all are like family to me."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

They were silent for a minute or two. He continued, feeling that he was on the right way somewhat. There was a nagging feeling that he might be saying everything in a wrong way, but he just took a slow breath and ignored it. "Ginny, I know you have six brothers, all of them cool, maybe except Percy and," He could hear her snigger. "sometimes Ron _is_ a git... But..." Was he really saying it? "I hope you wouldn't mind another one. I know I come with a little furry problem, but if you ever need something..."

He could hear her sobbing at the other side and panicked. "Ginny, I'm sorry, I didn't..."

"Shut up, Harry," came from the other side.

He could hear her unlocking the door. It didn't open. He waited. There was a sound of running water.

"Ginny?"

"Wait a minute, please."

He shut up and waited some more.

The door opened and he saw her, her face wet and slightly red, her sleeves stained with tears and her eyes glittering strangely. Then she suddenly jumped to hug him. Harry was so surprised he fell down, Ginny on top of him. He cried out of pain silently.

She jumped up and gave him a hand. Surprisingly, she was grinning at him. The smile felt a little fake, but he wasn't sure. "Some brother... Others don't fall then I do that."

He took her hand, muttering silently.

"What?"

"I'll have you know, that yesterday was a full moon."

She didn't even cringe at his words how he expected she would. "And?"

"I'm aching all over."

She beamed at him, "then I won't jump you so soon after _those_ next time, alright?"

He shook his head in surprise. "Next time?"

"Welcome to the family." She showed him her tongue and ran out.

Harry started laughing when he heard her jumping Hermione, who yelped out in surprise. "Some sisters," he muttered, happily.

No one heard him.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter has a chunk taken directly from Rowling's Goblet of Fire. I didn't mark it as not to break the flow.<p>

Update schedule is in the profile.


	5. The Flight

**Disclaimer**: Still can't claim ownership on Harry.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter V

The Flight

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

They were following the lantern lit trail towards the gigantic stadium. Harry was clutching his pair of Omnioculars and glancing around in wonder. He was surrounded by Weasleys and Hermione, only Ron was trailing slightly behind. He was also carrying a pair of Omnioculars and looked a bit thoughtful.

Harry smiled contently. He felt somewhat bad, as if he was trying to buy back the friendship, but when he gave Ron, Ginny and Hermione a pair each, they all took it silently. He expected Ron to protest or at least worry for getting a pricy gift, but his friend just sighed and thanked him.

There, at the top of the stairs covered in rich purple, they came into a small box, set at the highest point of the stadium and situated exactly halfway between the golden goal posts. About twenty purple-and-gilt chairs stood in two rows here, and Harry, filing into the front seats with the Weasleys, looked down upon a scene the likes of which he could never have imagined.

A hundred thousand witches and wizards were taking their places in the seats, which rose in levels around the long oval field. Everything was suffused with a mysterious golden light, which seemed to come from the stadium itself. The field looked smooth as velvet from their lofty position. At either end of the field stood three goal hoops, fifty feet high; right opposite them, almost at Harry's eye level, was a gigantic blackboard.

Harry took a deep breath to find himself once again assailed by the whirlpools of different aromas mixing together. He could smell witches, thousands of different perfumes, wizards, excitement and sweat, many scents he couldn't even place anywhere, happiness, a hint of fear and fighting spirit, lots of pride and competition, brooms and stands, carpets and lights, flattery and jealousy.

His gaze must have looked glassy, as Hermione even had to shake him to get his attention. He turned to see the minister of magic, striding closer. Percy was repairing his shattered glasses.

Harry stood up and took Fudge's hand.

"Harry, my boy," Fudge was trying to sound as fatherly as possible. "How are you today?"

"Thank you, Minister, I'm fine." The wolf was growling inside. **He didn't believe Hermione. He wanted to kill Sirius.**

Fudge turned to his side and waved towards him.

"Harry Potter."

Harry bit down the rising growl behind the teeth. His hand was slightly twitching and he sniffed the air taking into memory the scent of Minister Fudge. **Prey**. He barely listened to Fudge trying to explain to the Bulgarian minister just what an exhibit a Harry Potter was.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The game itself was a taxing experience for Harry.

First, the veela had... He didn't know what exactly had happened, but he suddenly was assailed by strange emotions. His wolf tried to interfere, but as it growled at the allure, Harry found himself standing up and moving forward, until Hermione and Ginny both grabbed his arms and shook him awake. Harry barely held back the howl when the wolf snapped the strange influence in his mind. He settled with silently snarling at the veela, who had now lined up along one side of the field.

When Leprechauns started the golden rain, Ron took a fistful of coins and turned to Harry, but seeing him grind his teeth, whitened and dropped them in his pockets. Harry, seeing all with a corner of his eyes, trembled.

Finally, the game began. It was difficult to follow everything, as the scents of the stadium only intensified, and were still assailing him. He tried watching the game with his Omnioculars, but with a slower setting they were useless, and looking through them normally was somewhat irritating for his vision. Finally he put them aside and just immersed himself, watching all the movements in the stadium. He saw the Snitch for a second, but then it moved behind the Chasers and was gone. At that very moment, Lynch crashed into the ground. Harry smiled at Krum's deception.

He was slowly getting used to the game by following movements and putting the scents aside as much as he could. Harry found that when he concentrated on the movements and not on the actual view, he could see everything even clearer, but the colours felt somewhat faint.

Finally he saw Lynch dart down and Krum follow. After a few seconds he could even see the Snich they were chasing...

Harry jumped up, when the Irish Seeker crashed into the ground for the second time. Nobody was paying attention at him when he took out his wand. His eyes widened and Harry, biting the growl escaping him, put his wand back.

"Dobby?"

The tiny creature looked up and stretched its fingers, revealing enormous brown eyes and a nose the exact size and shape of a large tomato. It wasn't Dobby – it was, however, unmistakably a house-elf.

"Did sir just call me Dobby?" squeaked the elf curiously from between its fingers.

"Sorry," Harry told the elf, "I just thought..." Noticing that more and more people in box were staring at him, he sat down again, "never mind."

It was just in time as after a few minutes into the box came the seven defeated Bulgarian players, smelling of sweat, steel and fire. And Harry was just glad everybody forgot his jumpiness.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

They were retreating. His **pack** was running towards the woods. They shouldn't have been running. The wolf urged him to go back. Into the fight.

Hermione was lighting the way. Ron had been cursing for half the way, having lost his wand in the confusion. Harry didn't care.

Then, they ran info Malfoy.

Harry noticed him standing in the darkness, smiling...

He **stank** the same...

"Where're your parents?" growled Harry, his temper rising even more. "Out there wearing masks, are they?"

"Well… if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?"

Harry grabbed him with one hand and snarled "Are _they_?"

Malfoy recoiled out of surprise. His smile was wavering and his hand was travelling to his wand. Harry was fighting the urge to rip and tear. He leaned closer, face to face to his **enemy**. "Try to take out a wand on me, _Malfoy._"

Malfoy put up his hand, probably seeing something in his eyes he got scared of. "My father..."

"Is _there_, in the _mask_."

He was squeezing Draco's shoulder in anger. The white haired boy gave out a yelp of pain.

"Pathetic." Harry smiled in Hermione's wand light. Malfoy was just in front of him. The growl escaped him. It was an inhuman, low sound. Everyone except him shuddered, suddenly aware of the surrounding darkness. Harry could feel the panic surrounding them, and could almost taste the fear of his **prey**. His eyes glimmering with bloodlust, he felt the moon's presence.

"Harry!" Ron was staring at him wide eyed, looking as if he wanted to dart away. He probably did.

Harry felt himself shiver. He tossed Draco aside and darted into the darkness. The sound of Malfoy's head striking the tree and the faint smell of his blood reached him, but he was running as fast as he could as far as he could manage.

His breathing was hard, the wood was getting denser . He jumped another low brush and barely evaded placing his leg a small pit. He was running as fast as he could. He should have stayed in Hogwarts.

He had asked Remus a question in one of their talks. The answer was clinging to him as his human part was trembling with fear. _We change on only one night of the full moon. _A stray branched bruised his face, but he ignored it. _So you did notice that I was absent for more than that while teaching? It was more of a precaution than a real reason._ The sounds were barely reaching him now. _You see, each moon leaves us with an imprint. It stirs the wolf inside of us. It awakens him. When the night passes, our wolf can linger. It's a rare case, but it happens. I guess it is tied to how long ago have you been bitten... Sometimes it does to me. _

Harry came to a halt, and leaned to a particularly large tree. _Don't worry Harry, you cannot transform again. It's just that the instincts of the transformations can return in the night._ _Or, in rare cases, during the day. You can control them, even, it's hard, but doable. Especially if you did drink the potion. _He felt it was sufficiently far. He ran too fast and too much. And he hurt all over since last night. The wolf was demanding blood. He almost even... _You are too young to even experience that. Don't worry. _That was one thing Lupin was wrong about. His wolf stirred again, wanting to take over. He should be with his **pack**,defending them.

Harry silenced his wolf, slumped down and sat on the fat root, listening and taking in the scents around him.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He saw movement with the corner of his eyes and hid behind the tree. Harry took out his wand and... recognised one of the scents...

"Mr. Weasley!" He shouted from behind a tree. "It's me, Harry!"

He could hear someone stepping towards him.

"Stop!" yelled a voice he also identified as Arthur's. "Harry, you can come out."

In the next fifteen minutes he found himself interrogated by Mr. Diggory. He had to repeat a few times that not only he didn't see and know what the Dark Mark was, he certainly didn't hear it being cast. When asked, he did confirm that Ron lost his wand before they got separated. He didn't ask Mr. Weasley about it, but he figured he would after they were left alone.

"So, Mr. Potter, why exactly were you this deep into the woods?"

For a second Harry was puzzled if he should mention Draco, but before he could make up his mind, his thoughts were interrupted.

"Amos," Arthur put a hand over Harry's shoulder. "We all had an exhausting evening; don't you think I could just take Harry and go? I still need to check up on the rest of the family."

Mr. Diggory thought for a moment and then nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"So, Harry," Mr. Weasley asked when they were farther from the others. "Why _did_ you end up there?"

He squirmed uncomfortably. "It's complicated…" Harry tried to change the topic, "what was that with Ron's wand?"

"Someone conjured the Dark Mark with it."

"What exactly _is_ the Mark, sir?"

"Harry, You-Know-Who and his followers sent the Dark Mark into the air whenever they killed," said Mr. Weasley. "The terror it inspired… you have no idea, you're too young. Just picture coming home and finding the Dark Mark hovering over your house, and knowing what you're about to find inside…" Mr. Weasley winced. "Everyone's worst fear… the very worst."

There was silence for a moment.

"Don't think I have forgotten about your dash into the woods, young man." Arthur was looking at him intently. "Ron and Hermione told me you just suddenly started running somewhere. Care to explain why?"

Harry sniffed the air. There were too many people within earshot. "Perhaps in the tent? We are going to the tent, Mr. Weasley?"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

When Harry entered, Ron was telling everyone that Mr. Crouch had found a house-elf clutching his wand. Currently he was showing the wand to Bill, whose scent told Harry that he had also just arrived inside.

"…this is the wand someone used to conjure the Dark Mark. Wicked, isn't it?" Ron noticed him and smiled, genuinely. "Harry, you are alright!"

"Ron." Mr. Weasley stepped forward. "There is nothing to be proud about your wand being used by a dark wizard. Please keep quiet, and hope that your mother doesn't hear about this from me."

Ron paled. "Sorry, dad."

"Harry!" There came a shout from Hermione. "Why did you do that?"

"I'm sorry."

Fred snorted at that.

Harry looked at Mr. Weasley. "I said I would explain, but could I tell only you?" he glanced at Hermione and Ron. "Hermione and Ron could come too?"

Arthur was confused. "It has something to do with Albus?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright."

The four of them went into another tent's room, which Mr. Weasley secured with a wave of his wand.

"Well?"

Harry gulped. It was one thing telling his friends, and entirely different one to tell Ron's father.

"You see, sir…" the wolf was already questioning his decision, "I'll understand if you won't want me to be with your family after I tell you… But it would be unfair to hide it from you."

Hermione took a step closer to him. Ron stayed where he was. Arthur nodded to continue.

"I'm… actually… A werewolf."

Mr. Weasley eyes widened in shock. It took him a few seconds to regain his composure.

"Harry," his voice was slightly trembling, but had fatherly undertones. "I cannot tell you that it doesn't matter to me at all, but I can tell you that I won't treat you any different… I have recently made acquaintance of Mr. Lupin, and I'd like to say that the man does behave marvelously and removed many fears I had before…"

Harry was staring at his shoes. "I'm afraid I might hurt you."

"Remus, I believe, was bitten at an even younger age and hasn't ever bitten anyone in his life. There is nothing to worry about. But you should know this already, you probably know him better than I do..."

Harry was scratching his left hand. Ron was trembling, Hermione sobbed silently.

"Harry, that does explain yesterday, but I still must ask you about today. What happened? Ron mentioned you met Draco Malfoy…?"

"Dad, we did meet Draco Malfoy in the woods, and he as good as told us his dad was one of those nutters in masks! And we all know the Malfoys were right in with You-Know-Who!"

"We can't prove anything, Ron…" Mr. Weasley began.

Harry interrupted. "His father was one of them. He had the same _scent._" Arthur's eyes widened, but he just listened. "It was… Moony told… Ah, I mean, Mr. Lupin had told me that sometimes just after the moon… Well, when I felt the scent, I kind of jumped Draco and threatened him…."

"Go on," Arthur nudged Harry after a few silent moments.

"He was his usual arrogant self… It's a bit hard to explain, but that awakened even more anger and I would have probably done something bad if I hadn't run away. We sometimes lose control easier on nights just after the change..."

"So you hid, that you wouldn't hurt Draco, Ron and Hermione?"

"I wouldn't have hurt Ron or Hermione even if I did lose control, Mr. Weasley…"

Arthur ruffled his hair. "Remarkable. Harry, I'm proud that you didn't risk yourself and others. You'll have to tell me more about all this sometime later. We all probably should try to get at least a bit of sleep, don't you think?"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry couldn't sleep. Admittedly, he did doze off for a few moments, but that just didn't help. Every time he fell asleep he could see a glimpse of the dream. He didn't remember any details, but he knew he was running as a wolf and there was someone he was chasing. Every time he shook himself awake and with each time noted, relieved, that he still was human.

After a few such times, he got up, put on some clothes and went outside to breathe some air and look around. He didn't turn on the light and tried to be as silent as possible. Bill was sitting in the small hallway, his wand on the nearby table. His breathing was silent, and it appeared he was asleep. There was some kind of spellwork at place, but Harry couldn't tell anything about it. It only smelled as if there was _something _in the air.

He took a few steps forward. Nothing happened. Harry bent to leave the tent, silently and carefully. Perhaps he was scared of some safety measures that were never there…

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The campsite was in disarray. As far as rushing people sounded, most of them wanted to leave as soon as possible, but the Portkeys were too few for that. Harry smiled. With so many Ministry wizards on guard, there wouldn't probably even be a hint of new trouble, but everyone was behaving as if it was still dangerous.

The air was fresher than the day before. There was a lingering aroma of alcohol and anxiety, mixed with shamrocks and burned wood. Harry was standing near their tent and watching wizards run around. There were quite a few tents like their own – silent and without visible worries. He wanted to walk around the campsite, but he didn't want to miss the Weasleys get up. He wasn't sure that when he went further, he could distinguish the moment by scent as there many distractions. It was a tough decision.

Finally, he decided on a compromise. Harry put hands into the pockets of his jeans and, lit by the stray lights of the campsite, started strolling forward, sniffing the air every few moments. So far, he could distinguish the mark of their lunch fire, and figured he could notice any Weasleys outside the tent. Then a slightly itchy aroma tickled his nose.

Harry took a turn to the side without thinking and found the reason. He waved at Cho, but then noticed that he was standing in the shadow and probably she couldn't see him. He stepped forward and waved again. Her eyes widened and she paced towards him, hesitantly.

"Hello, Harry."

"Hi." He smiled at her. There was an odor of burnt cloth around her. "Are you alright?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "It was scary, but that's all in the past now. Are you?"

"I'm fine." He barely held a back snort.

"What?"

"It's just I've been saying _that_ quite a lot of times."

She flashed him a bright smile. "So how are you really? Was everything alright?"

"Well, I'm uninjured and everybody's safe…" He trailed off, his thoughts returning to the midnight. "I just wish Malfoy…" He inhaled deeply, no one was out yet. "wasn't such a jerk…"

"Malfoy? What has he done this time?" Cho was standing quite near him, the lights of nearby fire playing in her black hair.

"Well… He did almost say that his _father_ was one of the Death Eaters today."

She looked a little surprised, but only shrugged. "He probably was… But no one will admit that…" Cho eyed him more thoroughly, "What are you doing up in the middle of the night?"

"I just couldn't sleep," he admitted, "and you?"

"It's similar. My cousin had her tent burned in the mess, and her family is sleeping at ours. She snores."

She made him snigger and giggled herself. Harry wasn't sure why the girls liked to giggle… He suddenly realized he was talking with Cho alone and got nervous… And red in the face, but she probably couldn't see that clearly, as it was still quite dark.

"So…" He was trying to think of a topic. "Are you… leaving soon?"

"No." She glanced at the nearby tent. "only in the evening or even tomorrow. Mother figured it would be better to stay till the main lot leaves. Less mix-ups that way."

"I'm not sure, but Mr. Weasley mentioned we would be getting up early. I figure we will be leaving in an hour or so," he answered an unasked question of hers.

"He works in the Ministry?"

Harry only nodded unsure of why he was being asked that.

"Was he in the tent?"

He ran the scents through his memory. "I'm not sure. He was at first, but then we went to sleep, and I haven't noticed him inside when I was leaving."

"I wouldn't want to work in the Ministry. My mother has been running back and forth the whole night. One of the reasons I couldn't sleep." Her voice got more serious. "Have you seen the Dark Mark?"

"No. But Ron has and you'll probably hear about it about a hundred times in Hogwarts."

Harry had to listen to the story twice before he went to sleep. Ron told him how he lost the wand and got it back and Hermione retold everything again, berating Mr. Crouch and his treatment of house-elves. The bored expression he said it with, made her raise an eyebrow.

"It actually was his wand, which got used for the mark. Mr. Crouch's house-elf got blamed."

"And?" She sounded slightly scared and excited at the same time.

"If there is a foolproof way for the story to become dull, Ron probably used it." Harry still didn't know where he stood with his friend. "His wand got stolen, he and Hermione wandered to where the culprit was, the mark was cast into the sky, and ministry workers swarmed the place, finding an elf with his stolen wand. Boring. They almost didn't give his wand back."

"And you call _that_ boring? I hope I never learn of your _interesting_ first hand."

They both laughed.

She shifted her gaze to Harry's eyes again. He could see the reflections of fire dancing in her brown eyes. They both took a step nearer to both each other and the nearby fire. Their gazes were still locked.

The wolf, usually stirring inside Harry all the time, relaxed and seemingly, lost itself in the fire.

The silence was slightly uncomfortable, but soothing.

After quite a while, Cho yawned. "You know, Harry, it was fun talking to you, but…"

"You want to try ignoring the snores?"

"I think I'll try sleeping in the kitchen." She winked. "I think I even remember where that comfy mattress is hidden."

They didn't move for a minute or two.

Chang looked thoughtful for a second and made a step forward. Harry's nervousness increased. Then, her eyes flickered and instead of hugging him, like he was half expecting, she just lightly touched his hand for a second and smiled. "Thank you. Goodnight, Harry"

"Sleep well, Cho."

She beamed at him, and went to her tent.

"See you on the Express." He muttered, his face burning. She probably heard him, as she turned back and flashed him another smile. He liked to see her smiling.

Grinning like a fool, he went back to the Weasley tents.

Harry leaned and got in; only to be greeted by a wand, pointed right between his eyes. He felt magic surging through him. His movements felt harder than usual and his hand wasn't reaching for his own wand as fast as he would have liked.

"Harry?" Bill's voice brought him back from the scare.

"Good morning, Bill."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry was lying on the grass, cursing silently. Now, having tried out the Portkey, this time an old rubber tire, he could say with certainty – there were no comfortable travel methods employed by wizards. The portkey and two nights of barely any sleep left they toll. His eyes were baggy, tired, and he had a newfound sympathy for each time he had seen Remus in such state. It was no wonder Lupin chose to take a day or two off after the full moons.

Apparently the story was already in the Daily Prophet… Mrs. Weasley had evidently been waiting for them in the front yard, and came running toward them, still wearing her bedroom slippers, her face pale and strained. It took them quite a long time to make her stop fussing all over them.

She even made a big deal out of Harry's night walk. Molly was horrified, when she heard him explain that he just went to stretch his legs and it wasn't dangerous in the slightest. Bill got berated for placing only one-way wards and for falling asleep. It took all of Arthur's charm to convince her it was neither Harry's nor Bill's fault, and all in all, nothing dangerous had happened.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

She woke up after another nightmare. There were hissing and screams, tears and running. Her eyes burned with fear, and her pillow was wet and salty. She turned to the side and clutched her pillow to her chest.

A whisper, barely audible at all, left her lips, "Harry."

The name helped.

A little.

She snuggled her face into the pillow. She could smile when she wasn't happy and walk with her head high, but at night, she was just a little girl. Harry would save her again.

He had called her 'sister'.

That brought about another round of silent sobs.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

_He was running through the silent forest. His light paws made almost no sound at all. The moon was shining through the branches, calling him further the path._

_His prey was ahead of him, fast, desperate and blind in darkness._

_The wolf slowed down his pace. The thrill of the hunt shouldn't end abruptly._

_He jumped over a fallen tree, dove under a low branch and emerged into a clearing._

_His prey was running towards him._

_When he saw a glimmer of white hair, he started growling._

_His prey shivered in fear, jumped back and started dashing in fear. He stumbled on a root, and fell face down to the ground. The wolf was nearby in a flash of black shadow._

_Suddenly, the smell of burning tents reached him. Confused, he looked around and saw the prey standing up._

_A flash of white fangs and a scream turning into gurgle. _

_The blood was warm. He bit and dragged the twitching and still bleeding body nearer to the edge of the forest._

_There a fire was burning. Flames and shadows danced in front of him._

_There was a stench of death and fear._

_His catch tried to move a hand. He bit into it and tore out a huge bite. The twitching ended after the third bite._

_The wolf stared at the fire, eating, content._

Harry woke up breathing heavily. He could still remember the scent of Draco's blood. He shuddered. He wished that the dream at least got the taste wrong...

"I won't bite anyone. It was just a dream."

His eyes darted to Ron, sleeping nearby.

"I won't."

Ron was still his friend. The week went past and they already talked civilly. He could still smell the fear, but Ron was trying.

"I won't hurt my family. My _pack_."

Everyone in the house was sleeping. There was a faint aroma of salty strawberries.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter has a few sentences taken directly from Rowling's Goblet of Fire. I didn't mark it as not to break the flow.<p> 


	6. The Spices

**Disclaimer**: Harry belongs to his owners. I think.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter VI

The Spices

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The scent of already familiar blood. Malfoy. Harry stood up, and as the compartments door opened, came face to face with the boy.

They stared at each other for a second.

"It's full." Harry snarled between his teeth. It was almost the truth – Hermione was reading a book and Ron, Dean and Seamus have just been discussing the Quidditch Cup with Harry.

Draco just sneered. "Don't think you can intimidate me, Potter. Next time, you won't be able to run away."

Harry just bared his teeth for a second and then smiled silently.

Draco winced. "So… going to enter, Potter? You never miss a chance to show off, do you?"

"Leave." Harry took out his wand.

"What are you talking about?" snapped Ron.

"Don't tell me you don't know?" he said delightedly, while glancing at Harry's wand. "You've got a father and brother at the Ministry and you don't… "

"Malfoy." Harry stared him in the eyes until Draco cowered and shut up. "Leave."

Silently, Malfoy turned around and left.

"Wonder what that was about." Seamus offered while scratching his rosette.

Ron was silently cursing Draco, causing Hermione to stare at him disapprovingly.

Harry started closing the compartment door, but then hesitated for a moment and turned around.

"I'm going for a walk."

"Be careful, Harry" Hermione's voice reached him, already behind the door in the corridor.

He wandered back and forth for the most of the remaining ride. There were quite a lot of different scents, and although he did find trails of the faint, sweet, but bitter aroma, he couldn't pinpoint it. He did find a compartment of Ginny's. He didn't go in as she had told them she had to catch up with her friends and he didn't want to intrude. He inhaled. There was a tint of radish, a shade of strawberries, some camera film and a whirlpool of chocolate.

After seeing that they were nearing Hogwarts, he headed for their original compartment, exchanging greetings with students he knew, and some of what he didn't. He was getting the hang of their scents and trying to commit the ones he knew by name to memory. Remus had told him that he had to try it constantly, or he could get disoriented with unknown smells in Hogwarts. He hoped that a few people he met would bathe more, but all in all he counted the walk a success...

Just before entering his compartment, he waved for Neville. For the last ten minutes of the ride he had to listen to Hermione's slight complaining.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Professor Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was smiling around at the students, his arms opened wide in welcome.

"I have only two words to say to you," he told them, his deep voice echoing around the Hall. "Tuck in."

"Hear, hear!" said Ron loudly as the empty dishes filled magically before his eyes.

Harry was taking deep breaths, looking around the table. Probably, he was just imagining things.

Just maybe he wasn't. It was a smell he couldn't place, so he leaned and took the small roll from the middle of the table.

"Harry," Hermione hissed silently. "you probably shouldn't start with dessert."

He ignored her and took a sniff. Only then he did take a small bite. It was strange, tasty and even slightly entrancing cinnamon roll, but it also made his nose itch.

"Cinnamon." Harry exhaled in surprise.

"What?"

"That's what that smell was... Cinnamon." He couldn't help but redden slightly when he said that, confusing both Ron and Hermione. Luckily for him, Nearly Headless Nick piped in, shifting the focus away from him.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry rolled over in bed, a series of dazzling new pictures forming in his mind's eye… He had hoodwinked the impartial judge into believing he was seventeen… he had become Hogwarts champion… he was standing on the grounds, his arms raised in triumph in front of the whole school, all of whom were applauding and screaming… he had just won the Triwizard Tournament. Cho's face stood out particularly clearly in the blurred crowd, her face glowing with admiration, the aroma of cinnamon in the air… Harry grinned into his pillow, exceptionally glad that Ron couldn't see what he could.

_He was running through the silent forest._

_Somebody was ahead, hiding from him._

_His jumps were light and silent._

_The smell of the hidden prey tickled his muzzle._

_Cinnamon?_

Morning found Harry wide awake, sweating.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing there, each looking thoroughly pleased about something.

Harry was boiling with anger. His wolf was snarling and tearing around. The day was especially tiring. He had to endure the stink of bubotuber pus, which was so bad; he could swear that drinking gasoline would have been better. Then, out of respect for Hagrid, they handled frog liver, which at least, reeked a tad bit less. Then, he and Ron climbed to the North Tower for his senses to be overwhelmed by the sickeningly sweet perfume of Professor Trelawney. He was seriously contemplating leaving the class, for it made his head spin and vision blur. His wolf was also discontent with the stench and just after the lesson ended, he was barely keeping himself from snarling at others.

And now, Malfoy had come to taunt them.

"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" said Malfoy, brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking very loudly, so that everyone in the packed entrance hall could hear. "Listen to this!"

Harry decked him right in the face.

Ron and Hermione had to grab him, as he wanted to leap at the falling Draco and tear out his throat. He still managed a kick into the white haired boy's side.

"Harry..." Hermione's words woke him up, somewhat.

"Let's go." Harry was breathing heavily. "Quickly. Or I'll kill him."

They turned to walk away as Draco leapt to his feat, gave a deadly glance to Crabble and Goyle, who were too surprised to even try anything and took out his wand.

Harry dove as he felt something hot approaching, and dragged both Ron and Hermione down with himself. Something hot touched the tips of his hair. Having been released he turned around, ready to **kill** his **prey**, but someone was faster. Professor Moody was limping down the marble staircase. His wand was out and it was pointing right at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone-flagged floor, exactly where Malfoy had been standing.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He was standing in the McGonagall's office, under her disappointed, albeit worried eyes. He shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"Mr. Potter, I must say I am very disappointed with the lack of restrain you showed today."

Harry was gazing downwards, counting the floor stones.

"What did Mr. Malfoy say to you, that it warranted such a response?"

Harry gulped. "Nothing, professor, it's just... I couldn't get a hold of myself. There were all these scents all day, and I slipped my control..."

McGonagall looked thoughtful. Harry felt something being omitted when she started to speak again, but he couldn't be sure. "Harry... Mr. Potter, even if you possess some slightly _favourable_ circumstances, I cannot let this go unpunished. Not when you gave an exhibition of Muggle duelling in front of the whole school. Now, professor Snape has insisted you serve at least four detentions with him."

Harry gulped.

"However, the Headmaster managed to convince that I was in charge of your problem. And you will be serving three of them with Mr. Filch and the fourth one will be held on the night of the full moon and won't be a detention but rather an alibi. You are to tell everyone that you received four, the last one with professor Snape. And you will try to control yourself better. Do you understand me, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, professor."

"You are to report to Mr. Filch Thursday at eight."

He turned to leave.

"Please take to avoiding Mr. Malfoy in the future."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The first potions lesson was a disaster.

When he entered, a whirlpool of smells battered him. His head fest heavy and his eyes started watering from the intensity of these. Harry barely found his seat, and it took him a few moments to grasp that the lesson was already underway and Snape had already been talking for minute or two.

"Many of you still harbour the delusion, that you might become a decent potioneers. This year will see your illusions shattered as the potions we will be brewing are beyond the capacity half of you might possess. Each brew is going to require knowledge, _concentration_..." Snape's gaze was firmly on Harry. "even inner calm and _restraint_. Things certain people_ lack_."

Draco sniggered. Harry's head was spinning.

"If any of you think you can get away with certain _displays... _Think again. There will be no nonsense in my classroom. Do you understand, _Mr._ _Potter_?"

Harry could barely see the man's sneer. His vision was swimming.

"Mr. Potter?" Snape sounded amused.

"Yes, sir." He barely managed the response.

When they started brewing, the dizziness started to get worse. When the potions they were preparing started fuming slightly, he was barely standing. Shivering slightly, he leaned a bit too near the cauldron and inhaled a bit too deep.

The next second, he was twitching on the floor, clutching his chest.

Someone screamed his name. Somebody was shouting. Harry blacked out.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

_He was running through the silent forest._

_There was a distinct lack of something... He stopped._

_His bare feet were hurting from the stray branches and his every step left a trail of blood. A trail he __**couldn't**__ smell. He sniffed, looked around and raised his hands near his face. He could barely detect hints of the forest. There was no familiar clearness, no scents one would expect of the forest._

_The full moon was glittering above. Harry quickly turned around, listening. It was too silent. He had been used to hold the small, silent hints of noise as silence. This time it was not so._

_He could barely __**see**__, having no glasses. He could barely __**hear**__. He could barely __**smell**__. And he could feel, no, he knew – something was after him. He felt the eyes watching him._

_There was no wand to be drawn, no weapon to be unsheathed._

_The wolf was staring at him. A low growl finally reached his ears._

_Harry turned to face it. He could barely make out the dark fur, but the wolf's eyes had a spark of a green tint he could make out even half-blind._

_The wolf started circling him. He could even sense it prepare to leap._

"_It's a dream. It's a dream... it's just a dream..."_

_The wolf snarled loudly. He could even sense it prepare to leap._

_Harry started running again._

_It was foolish. He could feel the wolf jump from behind. Instinctively he turned and raised his hands to cover the throat._

_He screamed out of pain when the sharp fangs tore into his left arm._

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He opened his eyes and found himself staring at the ceiling of the Hospital wing. Harry could see it clearly without the glasses... He cursed silently. Sweat was running down his forehead.

"You think Snape could have chosen today's potion just because Harry is..." He heard a whisper nearby and turned to face Ron and Hermione.

"Harry."

He just blinked at them, taking in the smell of parchment and grass.

"Mr. Potter." Pomfrey was standing near his side, a vial in hand.

He frowned and took the vial from her. "I know. I'm to drink this, right?"

At her nod, he downed the horrible concoction. Madam Pomfrey took the empty vial, ran a few diagnosis spells and proclaimed him free to go. Al three of them gladly complied.

"So, what did I miss?"

"When you collapsed, Snape called you foolish boy and tried to drag you out of the lesson, probably to the infirmary" said Hermione.

"Tried?"

"Well, Ron started shouting at him and calling him names. Earned himself a detention."

Ron rolled his eyes. Harry smiled at his friends.

"When Snape stopped shouting, I asked if we could accompany you and he declined."

"Took a bunch of points away for asking, though." Ron was clutching his fists. "And the bat gave a detention to Neville for melting a cauldron while he was away..."

"So, the usual Snape..." said Harry.

Ron laughed and slapped him at the back. "Pretty much the same, yeah."

"Why do you think you passed out? The fumes were too weak for them to have such an effect. Perhaps you added something..."

"I'm telling you, Snape did everything deliberately. He was angry you hurt Malfoy and that McGonagall didn't make you have detentions with him." Ron was full of righteous anger.

Harry waved it off. "I was feeling bad from the start. Even if Snape is to blame, it probably wasn't just because of the fumes... I think I'm going to have to ask Moony. He might know something..."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

After Moody's first lesson, which left him slightly disturbed, he had only a bit of time until his assigned detention, and he didn't want to be in the crowded common room longer than necessary, so he said goodbye to everyone and headed out.

Wandering seemingly without purpose, he caught himself following the trail of the _cinnamon_. Suddenly, unsure, he figured he should just start heading to Filch, but the scent became strong and he turned around to see a beautiful smile, belonging to one Cho Chang.

"Hi there. Looking for someone?"

Harry grinned like a fool, his stomach doing acrobatics. "It seems I have found someone already."

"Cho, who are you talking..." came from a side. A curvy reddish-blonde haired girl was staring at them both. Then she let out a gasp as her eyes found his scar.

Cho looked slightly apologetic.

"Harry Potter?" the girl managed. "What are you doing here?"

Harry sighed. "I'm just walking... I have a detention later, didn't want to wait in the common room." He said everything facing Cho rather than the other girl.

"The ones you got because of the fight with Malfoy? Why did you hit him anyways?"

"Marietta!" Cho interrupted and finished with a whisper Harry heard perfectly. "You are being rude."

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry, Potter."

He nodded.

"Perhaps we could start again?" Cho asked. "Hello, Harry, I'd like you to meet my best friend from Ravenclaw – Marietta Edgecombe. Marietta – Harry Potter."

"Hello." Harry even slightly bowed his head.

Marietta started giggling, but made a curtsy back.

Cho laughed and winked at him. Harry liked the sound of her laugh.

"So, is it true you passed out in potions?"

"Marietta! What she meant was just to ask if you are feeling good now?"

"I'm fine." He ruffled his hair nervously. "I just got a bit careless and the fumes smelled horribly. The next thing I know I'm in a Hospital Wing"

"Harry, you should really know better than to smell any fumes in Potion's class..."

"You sounded a bit like Hermione there." He could even hear Hermione voice repeating the sentence in his head.

"Bite me." Cho quickly noticed that she said something wrong, as he whitened as paper. "Harry?"

"What time is it?" His voice was detached, hollow. "I have to go find Filch; I think I'm late, sorry." He turned and ran.

Before reaching the corner, Marietta's hushed, but excited voice reached him. "Cho? What was that all about? And '_Harry_'? Don't you think I should know something?"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Between Hermione's nudging to join S.P.E.W., which Harry was in a too bad mood to even consider, homework and detentions, he had to deal with sickening potion lessons. Each and every one of them he just sat with spinning head and was trying to get any brew done without any success. He never did lose consciousness again, but the Snape did get immense satisfaction writing him zeroes for his work.

As the September's full moon was approaching, Harry started dreaming vivid dreams he couldn't even remember. Each and every morning he woke up startled, sweating and his heart beating.

Finally it dawned. Snape had given him the potion a day before, and today he was heading to an unused classroom in the dungeons. There he found Snape, who trust a steaming goblet into his hands and brushed past him to leave.

Harry downed the potion and looked around. In the comfortable looking chair there sat Mr. Lupin and by his side curled a black hound, who probably was the reason of professor Snape's departure. They were the members of his **pack**. Harry found himself being hugged by his Godfather, as Remus stood. He could hear Snape casting complicated locking and concealing spells on the door. After a few moments, he couldn't even sense the outside of the room.

"Harry." Sirius released him. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine."

Remus gave him a hard stare. "Please stop lying to us."

"Everything is mostly alright. Just during the potions... The smells get to me."

Remus smiled. "I know what you mean. In the days just before the change it was hard concentrating during Slughorn's class."

"It's more than that. I'm barely able to hear Snape talking."

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "If _Snivellus_ gives you trouble..."

"I thought so at first, but it doesn't matter witch potion are we brewing. Hermione tells me there is no potion or ingredient which could make me this dizzy in the classroom. Unless it very well hidden."

Remus looked in thought. "We will have to go there and see in the morning. Perhaps I would be able to find if there is anything wrong."

"If there is..." Black growled baring his teeth.

"We will hurt Snape." Remus smiled. "Deal."

Harry turned to Sirius. "Are _you_ ok? Please tell me you are safe?"

"I'm fine." Harry groaned at Sirius' words. "If only I could live somewhere else... But let's not keep ourselves on me. I'm safe, ministry won't find me and Dumbledore knows where I hide. Is that enough for you? Good. Now, let's place our wands on the top shelve there and try to relax, agreed? Or we will have to find out what do two werewolves do with two magic wands lying about."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The experience was the same as it had been both times before. Harry was trying to catch his breath and Madam Pomfrey, having entered just as they reverted to human form, was running the already usual tests.

"Did you feel any different?" Remus asked him after they drank a collection of potions.

"I don't know. It still felt similar to the first time. Clearer, brighter, but similar. I didn't have to remind the wolf that you were my pack."

"Could you feel the wolf stepping away and giving you an amount of control? Could you push him aside with the help of the potion?"

"That's just the problem. I feel the wolf just the same. He was in control. I couldn't influence him. He agreed with me that both of you are not to be harmed and he didn't. He felt safe with you so being tired he agreed to go to sleep by your side. But I couldn't tell him where to lie down, or even when to. We were separate, and I could only shout my thoughts at him."

Remus gave a small shudder. "Are you absolutely sure? No feeling of superiority over the wolf? No struggle for dominance as the change started?"

"Well, I tried ordering him and even pushing him away with thoughts, but I really didn't feel much difference."

"Impossible. Harry, you just can't feel any difference. It doesn't work that way. The wolf is pushing you away, are you not fighting the change? Do you not continue the struggle as it is finished?"

Harry searched his memories again, looking for something he might have missed.

"I don't know. There is pain, lots of it... But when the change starts, the wolf just is there. He is there all the time. Even when I'm human. Just when the change occurs, he is standing stronger than usual. In the front."

"Merlin." Remus started pacing around the room nervously. "When was the last time you felt the wolf while in human form?"

"Yesterday? Just minutes before, when I came in and saw you?"

"What was your wolf doing, precisely?"

"Rejoicing that he is seeing his pack?" Harry shrugged. "Should there have been something else he could have been doing? He is inside and does not control me."

"Now, Harry, this is very important. Can you feel your wolf now?"

"Yes."

Remus strolled in front of him and placed hands on his shoulders, staring deep into Harry's eyes. "What is he doing now?"

Harry blinked and felt his wolf shift around, as if answering a call. Looking in the eyes of the packmate he almost started growling, unsure if he was being challenged or not. "Watching you? I can feel him most of the time anyway."

Remus released him and slumped down on the ground. "Impossible."

"Now, could someone please explain what does this mean?" Sirius was looking at Pomfrey and Remus.

Pomfrey just shrugged.

"We are able to get hold of our wolf even when in human form. It happens sometimes. When we are stressed or feel threatened. Sometimes the wolf stirs, reacts to the world around us. But we cannot feel him watching. We do not live with his presence, it is a rare occurrence. He surfaces at the change and the change only."

"So... I shouldn't be able to feel him?"

"It's just something I have heard of Greyback. He supposedly lives with his wolf. Every second the wolf is nearby. It's a rumour that circulates between every werewolf. Some tell that he doesn't need the Wolfsbane potion to influence the wolf, some even tell that he can change on all the nights of the full moon. It's mostly rubbish, but there is a possibility of a stronger connection."

Harry tried to remember. He could constantly feel the wolf; that was true. There were times when the wolf slept or watched and he could easily forget it even being there. But it _was_ there. "So, what you told me about understanding the way the wolf thinks was for the change only? The prey, enemies, pack and those who are not worthy to be noted? My wolf holds Malfoy as prey, it's really hard to be near him and not hit him in the face..."

Sirius laughed. "McGonagall told us about that."

Remus got up back on his feet. "You mean to tell me, that the wolf can even influence your thoughts? Our behaviour does change a little, but you shouldn't feel what came from the wolf and what didn't... I'll have to research it, talk to some..."

Sirius frowned. "Moony has found a riddle. You will get your research time, now we must check on potions classroom. Follow me." He changed into a hound.

"Padfoot."

Sirius barked.

"You will remain here and wait for Albus. I will go alone. And Harry has to go to his dorm, mess up the bed so it looks like he did sleep there, only got back late. Better yet, Harry, go and sleep for an hour, till breakfast. We will meet in the corridor near the Snape's office, just after the breakfast."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

After getting up, still feeling a slight lack of sleep, but far better than the last time, he went to meet Moony and Snape. Remus had sniffed all around the potions classroom, and found the smells a bit intrusive, but figured Harry could feel them even better. They had worked out a solution - he would have to take a small potion numbing his sense of smell for the duration of the lesson. Snape was reluctant to offer the brew, but didn't make a big deal out of it. It was apparent that brewing Wolfsbane was a far bigger concern of his.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Potter! Harry!"

He turned around. "Marietta?"

She smiled. "That's me. Look, I don't know what your problem is, but you are avoiding Cho."

"What?" Harry and Ron said it at the same time, for different reasons.

"Look, Potter, I wouldn't care about this if she didn't. And the last time you talked, you ran like Gryffindor tower suddenly caught on fire. But you forgot to return when you extinguished it."

"I'm sorry?"

"Save it for Chang. Talk with her. I don't care what you tell her, just she can't figure out what was it she said wrong. She even thinks it might have been my fault. I believe it was yours. We have Transfiguration next. You'd better be there when the lesson ends." She turned and left the Great Hall, probably trying to catch up with Cho.

"What was all that about?" Ron got so curious he stopped eating lunch for a second. "When have you spoken with Chang?"

Harry tried to look guilty. "Here and there..."

Hermione beamed at him happily. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"What did she do to you that you are avoiding her?" Ginny pinched his arm from behind, making him jump a little. "Or was it your fault?"

"It wasn't my fault."

"So, what did she do?" Ginny sad down between him and Ron.

"It might have been my fault."

"Harry." Hermione exhaled with disappointment in her voice.

"Look, it's just... Something she said reminded me, that I am... That Remus..."

"And?" Ginny elbowed him. "We don't have all day, lunch ends in ten minutes."

"What else is there to say? I'm dangerous. I ran as I realised that."

"Was it the full moon at the time?" Ginny was relentless.

"Keep it quiet" Harry hissed. "And no, it wasn't."

"Don't you think it was stupid, then?"

"Maybe it was. And?"

"You should apologise."

"Maybe I will."

"Good." She patted him on the back. "So, you and Cho?"

Harry almost choked on his tea. "It's not like that."

"Of course, Harry, whatever you say." She flashed him her tongue as she got up. "I got to run now, Herbology."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Potter," Moody growled, "you next."

Harry moved forward into the middle of the classroom, into the space that Moody had cleared of desks. Moody raised his wand, pointed it at Harry, and said, "Imperio!"

It was the most wonderful feeling. Harry felt a floating sensation as every thought and worry in his head was wiped gently away, leaving nothing but a vague, untraceable happiness. He stood there feeling immensely relaxed, only dimly aware of everyone watching him.

His wolf was howling. The howl made him shudder. Something was wrong. He couldn't tell what, but his wolf was warning him. Enemies. There was some kind of danger. **Enemies**.

Harry started baring his teeth. And then, he heard Mad-Eye Moody's voice, echoing in some distant chamber of his empty brain: _Jump onto the desk… jump onto the desk…_

Harry bent his knees obediently, preparing to spring. The wolf prepared for the leap.

His knees buckled for a second and then the wolf leaped into the fight. He was by his side, tearing out the tendrils he could feel. Harry opened his eyes and turned to Moody, bloodlust shining through.

"No." It came as a growl. Harry was holding himself so he wouldn't jump at the Professor.

"Now, that's more like it!" Moody growled back. The tendrils retreated, the empty, echoing feeling in his head disappeared.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry ran out of Moody's class, still feeling the unpleasant trace of the curse inside. He was skipping lots of stairs and diving in between the other students.

When he reached the Transfiguration classroom, he saw it mostly empty. Only Cho and Marietta were inside. The latter was digging her bag for something, while facing the door. Noticing Potter she opened another compartment and turned to Cho. "And here it is. You were right. I didn't leave the quill in the classroom. I'm sorry."

She closed her bag and started heading out, Cho right behind her.

Harry waved at them. "Hello."

Marietta pushed Cho forward. "I'm going to the common room. Don't hurry for me." And she ran away, leaving both of them standing near the empty classroom.

The smell of cinnamon was overwhelming.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter has a few lines directly from Rowling's Goblet of Fire. I didn't mark them as not to break the flow.<p> 


	7. The Dream

**Disclaimer**: I have heard that Harry belongs to his owners. Imagine that.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter VII

The Dream

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Cho?"

She laughed. "Marietta told you to talk to me, didn't she?"

"She might have." Harry was wearing a weak smile.

"Do you think I have to be thankful or angry with her?"

He shrugged. "I came to apologise."

She raised an eyebrow. "You don't really have to."

"Marietta told me I should. It was entirely my fault. I'm sorry I ran without a word. And I swear I didn't try to avoid you."

"Apology accepted. Harry, it's alright, you did nothing wrong. Just Marietta has it into her head... Just don't run away like that next time."

"I won't."

They stood in silence for a few seconds.

"Could I ask why did you run the last time?"

He sighed. "It's complicated."

"Is that your way of saying no?" She winked at him.

"It's just there is so much of everything..."

"You'll tell me some other time. You don't have to answer now."

"It's just... My life is really messed up recently..." He bit his lip slightly. "I'll tell you when I can..."

"So, being the most famous person in the school has its downsides?"

He laughed. "I would give it all away if I could."

"You really want to get away from the attention, don't you? Is it that bad?"

"You have no idea... Still, better than my second year."

"Could you tell me about it?"

He sighed. "I guess. But it's not a happy story. What do you know?"

"Rumours say that you went into the Chamber and saved a small Gryffindor girl. Was she Ginny?"

They started walking towards the Ravenclaw common room, as Harry spun the tale of how they found out about the basilisk, how Lockhart tried to memory charm them, how the tunnel collapsed. He didn't tell her any details of the fight just that Fawkes saved him and they killed the basilisk with a stroke of luck and the Sword of Gryffindor. Nor he told her of the diary, but he did tell her that the girl taken was, in fact, Ginny Weasley.

"So instead of thanking you, we called you Heir of Slytherin? When you are such a shining Gryffindor it hurts to even look straight at you?"

"In their defence, they called me that before I went into the Chamber..."

"Thank you." She interrupted him.

Harry stopped mid-step and looked at her curiously.

"You know, nobody has thanked you properly. I thought we all owe you our thanks."

"People were grateful..."

"It's not the same. We were almost forced by Dumbledore to thank you in the fest. We did it just because he told us to. Now, it's just me being grateful. You did save the school and all of us. So shut up, nod and say 'you're welcome'."

He did as he was told, while blushing slightly.

"Good."

"Cho? Could you please not spread the story much? I don't need any more..."

"Attention. I understand – I won't."

He smiled, looking her in the eyes. "Thank _you_."

She returned his smile. "You probably won't be trying to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, are you?"

"I have dreamt about winning it once or twice... But I don't think I really want to enter. What about you?"

"Are you kidding? It's supposed to be dangerous. And I probably don't have what it takes. Not much of a Gryffindor, you know..."

"But you are smart, and..."

She motioned for him to stop. "That means I'm not stupid to think that I could compete, much less win. It'll probably be some seventh-year who is chosen. I am not near that level of magic... On the other hand, you have already killed a basilisk. That's got to count for something."

"Fawkes helped. Besides, I'm a year younger than you. And I'm not even at the top of my class..."

She laughed. "So, we won't even be entering."

He nodded. "And Hermione says it's so dangerous that contestants have even died in the tournament."

Cho stiffened a little hearing Hermione's name.

"I would hate if you got hurt..." Harry blurted out without thinking.

In return he got a warm smile and a quick hug. He was so stunned he didn't even hug her back, just stood there taking in the cinnamon, his own smell of the swirling wind, her long black hair and warmth. It ended too soon for his liking.

She released him and giggled when she saw his face. "It's very nice of you to say so."

"I mean it..." Harry barely managed.

"Good. Don't get hurt yourself."

He laughed at that, thinking of the nearing full moon. It never mattered how long ago the last moon was, there was always another on the way. "No promises."

"At least promise you won't try to enter on some crazy idea."

"Easy. I promise I won't even think about entering."

"We'll just have to cheer the Hogwarts champion from the stands."

They finally reached the Ravenclaw common room entrance. She turned to face him again. "This is where we part. See you later, Harry."

"Later."

"Next time, please find me before Marietta drags you..."

"I'll try."

She gave him another hug, which he managed to return this time. He lightly stroked her long black hair as if afraid that she was going to disappear. She was radiating warmth and comfort, and Harry could swear his head started spinning.

Watching her go, he could only wave as she disappeared behind the door with the bronze eagle knocker.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

_He felt as if he had been running through the silent forest. Barefooted._

_The wolf stood in front of him, silent, watchful. Knowing what was going to happen he just stood in defiance snarling back._

_When the wolf leaped, he still moved his hands to cover himself. The fangs tore into his left arm._

Harry was sitting in his bed, the curtains dragged back, and everyone's curious faces staring at him.

"What?" He snapped, barely awake.

Seamus frowned; Neville was sitting in his bed, watching them all.

"You were shouting." Dean was slightly annoyed. "A nightmare?"

"You were screaming 'get off me'..." Ron said.

"A nightmare." Harry looked around again. "I'm sorry I woke you up. Goodnight."

Noticing his tone, they didn't pry further.

He didn't sleep after that. The wolf was too restless. It was but a two day wait till another moon. Remus hadn't contacted him yet.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The potion was becoming worse with each drink. Snape was probably getting some warped satisfaction each time Harry drank the foul concoction. This time, he could even swear that the potion tasted worse than usual. Perhaps Snape was not even trying to mask the taste and smell and even tried new variations that tasted more horrible.

When he entered the classroom, there was only the headmaster and a black dog waiting for him.

"Where's Moony?"

"Alas, Remus in unable to join us this night. I would like you to know that it is not his will to skip the occasion. He was quite unhappy when it was revealed that he couldn't make it in time. I am here in his stead. I would offer you a lemon drop, but the Wolfsbane potion does not go well with sweets just after. I hope you don't mind my company during your preparations."

"Of course, Headmaster."

Sirius reverted to his human form and hugged him like he did the moon before. "Harry."

Harry gave him a weak smile. It was good to know that Sirius was there for him. It still hurt that Remus wasn't.

"Now, my boy..." Headmaster began when Sirius finally released his godson from the tight hug. "We seem to have run into a slight bind. Your different familiarity with the inner wolf shows us, that either the potion is not working as well as it should or your perceptions differ from the usually observed. I hope you wouldn't terribly mind if we dedicated the first few moments to try a small experiment?"

Harry nodded at Dumbledore, waiting to hear what he was to do.

"We will try three different approaches. First, you will have to try to concentrate on your wolf just before the change and challenge him. It is the most unlikely explanation, but you might have not tried to fight for the authority. In this process, I hope, Fawkes would assist. Should you manage to succeed, we will have our answer. I ask you to curl up in that corner of the room if you do emerge victorious. However, I must warn you that Fawkes assistance will help your human side, but might make the transformation slightly worse. If you are not up to try it, we can just skip it."

Sirius was holding Harry's hand, soothing him.

"The second test is quite harmless; I will allow my scent to reach you when you are transformed. Your reaction to it would shed the light on the effectiveness of the potion. After the talk with Remus, we have decided to try out an additional scent, which will be that of another human. I just hope my odour is to your liking."

Harry smiled. "It's a cheerful smell. Lemon drops, magic and wool."

"Magic?" Albus eyes twinkled for a second.

"It's just that some scents are difficult to name..."

"Appropriate." Sirius laughed with barking laughter. "Sorry, Albus, please continue."

"The third test is the one Sirius will be responsible for. He is to try and stage a fight."

Harry paled. "No."

"It won't be a fight as much as the challenge he will back out from. Perfectly executed it will be more of the game than anything dangerous. And I will be watching, ready to offer assistance."

"Relax; everything's going to be alright." Sirius winked at him. "I'm not that old of the dog."

"But the last time you got yourself injured..."

"The scars have already faded away. Besides, it's not like my face is very important. Or are you scared I will bite _you_?"

"If we really have to..."

"Good. I want you to sit down and relax as much as you can. Then, you should distance yourself from the room as much as you can. For a few moments, please try not to think about anything. Don't worry if you can't. Then, call out to your wolf as Fawkes starts to sing. Then continue to hold him aside as much as you can as the change starts. Can you try that, Harry?"

He took a few deep breaths and sat down. Albus retreated to the corner, vanishing from the view and taking his scents with himself. Sirius morphed into the dog and curled up nearby. Fawkes, perched on the nearby desk, was staring at both of them.

Harry sighed and closed his eyes. Somehow, he managed to put aside the worries for Sirius, at least for a moment. Then, the fear of the change barged in. He couldn't keep it away. Then he felt the wolf breathing.

Fawkes started to trill the song.

Harry started shaking.

_A forest._

The phoenix song went through him like a spear, hurting everything in the way, making him gasp from the sudden pain. The change began a little too early. Or was it already time?

_The wolf was ready to leap. He was staring him in the eyes defiantly. Harry's face was scratched by branches. The wolf silently crept around him in circles._

Harry's body was twisting, his bones snapping for the millionth time. The pain made everything look white.

_He leapt at the wolf. They both met mid leap, and Harry felt fangs tear into him. Everywhere._

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He was but a passenger again – there was no difference. This time, the wolf was furious. He flashed his teeth at Sirius, then, jumped and bit him on the side. A strong, furious bite. The hound yelped at surprise and started fighting back.

Had the circumstances been different, Harry would have admired the strength and precision Padfoot was showing. The black hound tried each and any dirty trick, sliding, rolling and biting his fur and flesh.

The wolf jumped for another strike, aiming at the throat, but Padfoot dove under him, biting his legs while the wolf was mid leap. The wolf fell on the ground, rolling onto his back.

Padfoot showed a huge grin and pressed him down, holding him in place with his weight.

Trapped, the wolf was snarling ad trying to break the hold. The hound bit him a few times. It didn't stop the fury.

Harry reached out as much as he could and tried stopping his wolf. He wouldn't make him listen. He tried to remind him of the pack. The wolf was too furious and too focused on the survival he didn't even understand there was no real danger. It felt like a trap, and everything the wolf wanted, was just to get away.

Then, the wolf, with all his strength, twirled around and managed to get away from under the hound. They rolled and crashed into the wall. There was a loud snap, and yelp of pain. Sirius staggered for a moment, and felt fangs on his throat.

With a loud bang, Harry was thrown backwards and into a small cage.

There, he was thrashing around and biting the bars, trying to get at the bleeding black dog. **He is my pack**. Harry could swear he hear a growl in return – **NO**.

Noticing he couldn't get away the wolf went mad and started thrashing about in the small cage, finally even starting to bite himself. The fur and blood littered the bottom of the cage. Finally he blacked out of pain, frustration and bleeding wounds. Or maybe that was just a spell Dumbledore cast that gave him the gift of unconsciousness.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

_He was lying on the ground in the forest. He couldn't move. It hurt everywhere. He could hear the wolf breathing. Then, he met the eyes of his predator. They were marked with a green tint, a familiar green. The tail was swatting his legs._

_Suddenly, without warning the wolf lashed out and Harry screamed as his flesh was thorn._

_He expected to wake up, for the dream to end, but it didn't. His own blood was dripping on him from the jaws of the wolf. A flash of fangs and a second scream sounded with another bite._

_And another..._

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He was still screaming when he realized he was being held by Pomfrey.

He coughed a few times and tried to move. It hurt quite a lot. He felt very weak. There were bite marks and scars all over his arms and he guessed the whole body was even worse.

"Sirius?" he finally managed.

She huffed and pointed him a conjured bed, where his godfather was sitting and slowly eating some bread. He waved at Harry, without any sound. His godfather had a bandage on his throat (Harry saw him wince with every bite he swallowed) and his leg was in a temporary cast, but Padfoot looked alive and as well as one could expect from a wounded man.

Pomfrey started another round of spells.

"What happened?" Harry couldn't understand why it was that hard to speak.

"Forgive me." Dumbledore was standing beside him. "Had I known, we wouldn't have tried it. It seems that the wolf had a much too violent reaction to the phoenix song than expected. I didn't think we would have to knock you out. I heard it can be most... _unpleasant_."

Harry gulped, remembering the wolf tearing him apart. "Was what I saw a dream?"

"There have been cases where a werewolf tries to escape his fate by having someone knock him out during the night. It is a hard task, but doable, as you saw me today. It is most advised not to."

"Why, sir?"

"Most of those who try, never want to do so again. This curse is of a violent sort. And by trying to trick it into unconsciousness, I have turned your wolf against you. Whatever was it you saw is but a dream, and doesn't carry any risk of physical damage. The human mind, however, can take only so much... There was one dedicated man that tried to knock himself out every night and went mad after a year... I'm sorry we had to resort to that, but we had to both help Sirius quickly and you were in danger of injuring yourself horribly. It was a last resort and I am truly sorry you had to see what you saw."

Harry blinked, remembering the wolf taking bite after bite and him feeling everything sharper than ever... "Please don't do so again, sir." His voice was shaking as he recalled his inability to move, resist or die.

"It seems that once again, my actions have caused you more harm than good..."

"Harry, you will have to spend a day or two at the Hospital Wing," said Pomfrey.

Harry groaned and passed out from exhaustion without even managing a normal response.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"You are telling me, that the official story is fume poisoning? Again?" Harry was abashed.

Hermione nodded.

"Great. So not only I had a remedy potion session with Snape, it turns out I cannot stop breathing potion fumes. Are the Slytherins having as much fun at my expense as I think they are?"

Ron nodded. "But the whole Gryffindor is blaming Snape. People say he tried to kill you."

Harry groaned. "I'd think that being such a good brewer and me drinking his potions almost constantly, he may have already had a chance to do that... What else is new?"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"How are you feeling?"

"I just wish they would have let me out sooner."

"You do spend lots of time there..."

"Pomfrey probably has my name on the bed."

"I'm sorry I didn't visit you."

He blinked in surprise. "You didn't have to."

"Still, I should have."

"It was only a day and two nights."

"I'll visit next time."

"I hope there won't be one."

"You are Harry Potter." She let out a laugh.

"I am. That doesn't mean... Fine. See you next time."

"You're very thoughtful today. What's on your mind? Is something wrong?"

"Just... It's hard to sleep."

"Have you tried counting something? Snitches, perhaps? No, you would probably want to catch them... Broomsticks?"

Harry ruffled his hair. "I don't know..."

"Try it. You'll see."

Harry nodded. '_The problem is not getting asleep, it's the dreams,_' remained unsaid.

"Thanks for coming to speak with me."

He blushed. "I just saw you standing there... Why were you out in the corridor?"

"Everyone is excited about the guests. Marietta can't shut up about her distant cousin in Beauxbatons. She can't decide if he is arriving tomorrow or not. I got tired of it and there we are. I'm glad I was lucky enough for you to run into me."

He rolled his eyes at that. He did notice the cinnamon scent trail and followed it.

"Harry, are you sure you are alright?"

He remained silent.

"You didn't even smile once today."

He tried to and failed.

"What really is the matter? Are you worried about potions?"

"A bit."

"Don't worry; your O.W.L.s are only next year. Just remember..."

"...not to breathe the fumes." He was getting annoyed with everyone saying that. He was doing his best to ignore everyone, especially Draco. He didn't want a murder on his hands.

"That _is_ important, but I wanted to say that you can always ask me."

"Cho?" He stumbled and almost fell down.

"It's not my strongest subject, but, you know, I think it would be a little more pleasant than more lessons with Snape. And it would even serve me as a revision for _my_ O.W.L.s."

He smiled, for the first time since the last stay in the hospital.

"And you can't keep learning everything from _Hermione_."

At any other time, he would probably have noticed the strange way she pronounced the name. "I'll have it... in mind."

"Don't just think about it. When can you find time?"

"I don't know, Wednesday, perhaps."

"So, after Halloween, Wednesday, we are going to meet in the library, just after the dinner."

"I think..." Harry was gaping and struggling with words. "It would be perfect..."

"It's a date then."

When she walked away he was still standing there. He couldn't decide whether he was dreaming everything or not.

He didn't pinch himself, as he was still sore from before. And, he could feel pain in some of the dreams...

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

They filed down the steps and lined up in front of the castle. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent-looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest.

Harry was breathing heavily. The moon was hanging above him like an executioner's axe. The wolf was running inside him. Everything he wanted was just to stand facing the moon and howl. Harry figured every Slytherin would love to see him doing exactly that. _I don't fear the moon; I just fear the things it represents to me_. Harry wondered where Moony was at the moment.

When the other schools started arriving he was greeted by a new array of scents. As he was already used to, he started committing them to memory. Just so he could take the mind of the damned moon.

The strangest scents belonged to the Headmistress Madame Maxime and Highmaster Igor Karkaroff. She had some hints Hagrid usually had, Harry had to sniff a few times to notice that here was a slight difference to the scent, albeit almost unnoticeable. Karkaroff gave off something that Snape and Moody shared. He filed the scent as harshness and left it at that. He and Lupin had something familiar, feeling like a small black spot somewhere you couldn't pinpoint exactly. Even Sirius had traces of it. A wound, left from Dementors, the hint of darkness.

Harry sighed, his thoughts focused on Sirius. Sirius didn't tell him where he was straying, but the place was dark, dusty and unpleasant. He was glad that Pomfrey healed his godfather rather quickly and was extremely sad he was the one to blame. He wouldn't let Sirius near him on the next moon. What if the wolf decided to finish the fight?

There were a few familiar odours from the Quidditch Cup. He couldn't exactly pinpoint the people, but he could swear he could almost taste the familiarity in the air. Seeing Krum was unexpected, but the smell of steel in the air, strong and distinct, should have given him the warning.

He was almost ecstatic when he saw everyone gape at Krum so much, they had all but forgotten about him.

Ron was one of those jumping with excitement. Ginny and Hermione were laughing at him silently. When he claimed that he wouldn't mind giving Krum his bed, even Harry couldn't hold the snigger back.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter has a line or two directly from Rowling's Goblet of Fire. I didn't mark them as not to break the flow.<p> 


	8. The Howl

**Disclaimer**: Harry belongs to her-who-must-be-mentioned in disclaimers.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter VIII

The Howl

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry was admiring the Goblet of Fire. Like all things magical, it had a slight mysterious odour around it. This time, it was both the hint of the flame and the promise of power radiating around the artefact. His senses were overwhelmed and entranced. Him and half the Hogwarts – someone was always watching, everybody were excited to see who would try to enter.

When Fred and George tried to trick the Goblet with aging potion, Harry laughed as Fred crossed the golden line, feeling the magic building up. George gave a curious look to Harry and would have leapt forward himself, had Fred not been thrown back right at him. They landed painfully, ten feet away on the cold stone floor, and to add insult to injury, there was a loud popping noise, and Fred sprouted a long white beard.

The entrance hall roared with laughter. George was laughing the loudest and it took Fred a few moments to join the hysterics.

When they left off for Hospital wing, Harry was still in a merry mood.

"Did they really think it would work?" Ginny stood on his left, next to Hermione.

"Trying to fool the Headmaster..." Hermione mumbled.

"At least we now can tell them apart easily." Ginny's eyes were sparkling with laughter as she said it.

Harry shrugged. "I don't think there is a lot of difference whether you can or can't. Still, the beard fits Fred perfectly."

"Why did you laugh when Fred entered?" Ginny looked at him curiously.

Harry looked around to see if anybody beside Ron or Hermione could overhear and leaned to whisper in her ear. "I smelled the magic flare. It didn't when others were entering."

Ginny shuddered slightly for some reason Harry didn't even try to guess, and nodded.

"You can sense magic?" Hermione was whispering excitedly.

"Remus can too. It's not that useful, all magic smells almost the same. In Hogwarts, it's everywhere. Only when an exceptional amount is nearby it starts being noticeable."

"Wicked." Ron was probably going to say something more, but he probably could smell breakfast better than Harry, as his stomach growled in anticipation. "Can we go and eat now?"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Excitement and anticipation were swirling in the air, Harry could barely eat. Everyone wanting to hear who had been selected as champions, the Halloween feast seemed to take much longer than usual

Finally, the Headmaster took out his wand and gave a great sweeping wave with it; at once, all the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging them into a state of semidarkness.

The Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole Hall, the sparkling bright, bluey-whiteness of the flames almost painful on the eyes. Everyone watched, waiting… A few people kept checking their watches…

Harry felt the Goblet's fire change, first in scent, then, in colour. He clapped slightly when the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons champions was chosen, but gave a strong applause for Diggory. It was sad that the champion wasn't Gryffindor, but at least it wasn't any Slytherin either. As the tumult died down, Harry started feeling nervous as the odour of the flames didn't change one bit. Something was out of order.

The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment. Harry could swear he saw his name on it for a second.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out – "Harry Potter."

Harry sat there, aware that every head in the Great Hall had turned to look at him. He was stunned. He felt numb. He was surely dreaming. He had not heard correctly.

Harry's eyes darted from one face to the other, meeting other stares. Most were gaping at him, the surprise clearly visible. He caught a glimpse of fear in Ginny, a spark of anger from Ron, a thoughtful expression from Hermione, an overjoyed expression of George and Fred, the trace of open anger from all the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws there mostly stunned, Cho was looking at him with disbelief almost matching his own.

"I didn't put my name in," Harry said blankly. "You know I didn't."

At the top table, Professor Dumbledore had straightened up, nodding to Professor McGonagall.

"Harry Potter!" he called again. "Harry! Up here, if you please!"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Ludo Bagman was first to join Harry and the other champions. Then, the room slowly was filled to the brim – Dumbledore, Moody, Karkaroff, Maxime, McGonagall and Snape.

The atmosphere was tense, Harry could even taste the anger and outrage in the air around him – the smells were harsh and vigorous. The words exchanged did everything to heat the dispute even more.

Then, Dumbledore dragged him slightly aside.

"Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Harry?" he asked calmly.

"No," said Harry. He was very aware of everybody watching him closely. Snape made a soft noise of impatient disbelief in the shadows.

Dumbledore met his eyes and stared at them for a prolonged moment. His wolf started stirring. Something was _wrong_. When Albus turned away, Harry closed his eyes and started taking long and deep breaths, trying to calm himself and his wolf down. He almost lashed out at the Headmaster. The wolf was still trying to make him hurt Dumbledore, but Harry shoved him aside with a few tries.

Harry opened his eyes, slightly calmer, but still on the verge of losing his temper or control. Mr. Crouch was speaking in a curt voice, and it seemed Harry would have to compete...

Harry heard the door opening slightly and smelled Moody entering a moment before he started accusing Karkaroff of something.

It took quite a while till the torture ended and Dumbledore sent him and Cedric away.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Yeah?" said Ron, and there was no trace of a grin, forced or otherwise, on his face now. "You want to get to bed, Harry. I expect you'll need to be up early tomorrow for a photo-call or something."

He wrenched the hangings shut around his four-poster, leaving Harry standing there by the door, staring at the dark red velvet curtains, now hiding one of the few people he had been sure would believe him.

Ron didn't. He couldn''s thoughts were racing against the wolf. He _was_ my pack. There was no reason to spread out. The danger hadn't passed, it only increased. The pack never behaves like that. In face of danger or prey the pack only tightens...

Shaking, howling with anger, he dove to find his father's Cloak. For a second, he thought of taking the Map as well, but it would just get in the way – he could smell anyone coming corridors away.

He put the cloak on, and rushed down to the common room again.

There was still a celebratory mood and as he was closing the painting he could hear Ginny arguing with Creevey brothers about him. Had Ron not torn his trust to shreds, he would have been glad to find someone believing him. Now, he ignored everything, and just ran off.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

It took him quite a while to get outside, as hot fury blinded him, but eventually he found himself facing the Forbidden Forrest.

Stepping closer to the dark trees, Malfoy's voice echoed in his mind, reaching out from the first year. _We can't go in there at night — there's all sorts of things in there — werewolves, I heard._

"Now, there certainly are." Harry mumbled darting between the trees.

He was running through the silent forest. His steps were heavy, the Cloak was getting in the way, but he didn't care. Harry could feel the moon above him, shining through the trees and mist. His wolf, he could almost see him running nearby, silent, deadly, angered.

He saw a huge boulder, tried to jump on it, but bruised his legs as it was a bit too large. Ignoring the barely noticeable sting of pain pain – like it could matter – Harry climbed on top and stood there, in the silent darkness.

Then, he threw the Cloak down and looked up to meet the faint light of the moon.

An inhuman howl reverberated through the forest.

Harry, feeling the wolf by his side, was screaming his pain and Ron's betrayal for everyone to hear. The howl was coming from the depths, from the wolf and all he slowly felt all the pain and the hurt fade as the howl dragged on. It was but a moment's respite, but Harry was grateful for it nevertheless.

He heard the answer and shuddered, falling silent.

There it was – a long, deep howl, mirroring his. Then, a second voice joined. And a third.

Harry laughed and felt his wolf nudging him to continue. After a few moments the forest filled with the shared pain and hurt again.

When it all finally ended, Harry could barely speak and there were tears running down his face. He just sat there, on the huge rock, his Invisibility Cloak at his feet, the Forrest covering him from the world.

He could feel his wolf curl up against him, like a touch of shade, an invisible Patronus. The wolf's fur was soft and radiated comfort. **Why do I fight him?** Harry ran a hand through the invisible beast, meeting no resistance, but almost feeling the black fur. **Why do you hunt me in the dreams? Why are you with me now?** But the wolf didn't answer. He just was there, silent, warm. A companion.

In some ways, werewolves were the loneliest beings in existence, but at the same time, they were never truly alone.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Cloak wrapped around him once more, he was slowly limping back. His feet were tired and his throat was hurting still, but at least he was sure he wouldn't kill Ron when he saw him. It was an early morning, the sun was rising slowly – it was getting lighter and lighter. All night had Harry sat on the boulder, listening to the wind and smelling everything, sometimes answering a howl from the depths of the Forest. No one had disturbed him all night, nothing approached him. He had caught a few beings nearby, but they had avoided him, and he hadn't been going to look for them anyway.

He wasn't paying attention to the scents around him, so he noticed Hagrid only when Fang started barking at him.

Harry peeked his head out of the cloak, when Hagrid started looking around with the crossbow in hand.

Harry tried greeting, but his throat was too sore.

"Harry? What yer doin' here?"

He coughed. "Walking."

They talked for a few minutes, Hagrid, with his strange accent, and Harry, under the cloak and with a sore throat. It must have sounded interesting to any who could listen, except there were none who did. When Hagrid mentioned that the wolves were restless the whole night, Harry managed to fake ignorance and asked if there really were wolves in the Forest. He got treated to a tale, that the Forbidden Forrest did have many creatures that were extinct everywhere. Harry even felt slightly sad when he heard that the Forest probably was only place having any wolves in whole Scotland. Harry was glad that Hagrid didn't wonder of his sudden interest in wolves, and most importantly – Hagrid did believe that he was entered against his will.

They said their goodbyes and Harry went to back to the Castle.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

As he was nearing to the Gryffindor tower, he ran into Hermione.

She believed in him.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry was sitting in the library, two books on potions opened before him. He didn't know what he was doing there, but he figured it wouldn't hurt even if she didn't come.

He switched a page, his mind not even paying attention to the text. The wolf was calm, watching, the small shadows flickering between the letters. Dinner probably had ended already. After eating breakfast, sitting with Ginny and Hermione, he just couldn't bring himself to go to the Great Hall - there were too many stares and the anger stank horribly.

The library was half empty. Hermione was studying in the Common Room. At least she had planned to. Harry knew he couldn't concentrate if she were here.

Then, disbelievingly, he noticed the slight cinnamon aroma approaching the library. It couldn't be. They were probably serving cinnamon rolls during dinner... He was afraid to look when he heard someone enter and stop in the middle of the library, looking around.

The smell got so strong he pushed away his fears and jumped up, turning around. There was a loud bump when the book he was reading fell on the ground. He probably got up a little too carelessly. Madam Pince eyed him disapprovingly and he hurried to pick up to tome. Thankfully it was intact, else there would have been more consequences than the stare.

The sounds he made were enough to make everyone in the library see him there. Slowly everyone went to their own business, but Harry was still staring at Cho.

She was moving towards him, with a barely visible smile.

"You came." He muttered instead of greeting her.

"I promised." Then, she did an unexpected thing - she pinched his arm. When he gave a startled gasp, she elaborated. "And you can't keep yours. You said you weren't going to enter."

He just stood there, gaping, the wolf waking up. "But..."

"Shh, I believe you. You told me countless times, that you don't want it. I don't think that you lied to me then, and you probably are telling the truth now."

Harry could probably have reached the ceiling if he didn't think that jumping up and down would get them thrown out. Instead of that, he grabbed her hand in both of his and squeezed it gently. "Thank you."

She beamed at him. "Want to talk about it?"

He pondered it for a second, while she sat down next to him. "Maybe..."

"It might help. You seem a bit down."

Harry shrugged. "There isn't much to tell, I was sitting there in the feast, applauding for Diggory and my name came out of the Goblet... Then everyone started interrogating me and after that, they said that I _have_ to compete. It's a magical contract."

"Who do you think entered you?"

"I dunno."

She smiled. "Could it have been Snape?"

"It's as good a guess as any. Although, I seriously doubt it." He smiled at the thought. "No, it's definitely not him..."

"How are you holding up?"

"F... I don't know." Her being near him reminded him of the night he spent in a forest. There was something warm in being near her, something he couldn't pinpoint. It even made him blurt out something he didn't want to. "Ron doesn't believe me. Only Ginny and Hermione do. And Hagrid. An you." He lowered his eyes down.

"Harry, believe me, there are many those who believe you. You just had to see your eyes when Dumbledore read out your name."

"Are there? Hufflepuffs hate me, Slytherins would like me dead, Ravenclaws think I cheated everyone, and Gryffindors want only to hear how I pulled it off. And I don't even want to take part."

"Do you really have to?"

"What do you mean?"

Cho looked thoughtful for a moment. "There is a magical obligation for you to compete, right? Perhaps there is a way to cheat it?"

He laughed. "We talked about it in breakfast. Ginny asked if I could just show up at the task, do a half hearted attempt, fail and leave without getting hurt..."

"And?"

"It's not that simple. Hermione read about it a little, and I went to find Dumbledore during the break today. I didn't understand everything, but the contract might punish me for trying to escape from the Tournament if I tried something like that. It's not a safest bet. And to achieve the minimal required effort it would still be as dangerous and difficult as finishing the task. Besides, what Gryffindor would I be if I backed off from the challenge?"

"Uninjured?" Her fingers were slightly tapping the table. "You really do want to compete, at least a little?"

He nodded. "A part of me relishes the challenge." The wolf howled in anticipation, agreeing to his every word. "I know it's insane, and I'm only a fourth year, but I really can't back away now."

"I can't say that I approve, but I understand..."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, her hand playing an imaginary piano on the potions book.

He turned to face the desk. "Should we take a look?"

"Oh... Let's." She smiled opening the book. "What are you covering now, antidotes?"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

They were nearing the Ravenclaw tower, in a slow pace. Sometimes there was a stare someone threw their way, but Harry found himself in a surprisingly carefree mood. The reason of his high spirits was walking nearby him, smiling most of the way.

"And the last thing to remember is not to breathe any fumes while brewing." Cho winked at him.

"You are never letting me forget that, are you?" Now, speaking with her was almost as easy as talking to Hermione or Ginny, although it always felt different.

"Never."

"Thank you... I have learned more today... than in whole year with Snape."

"Are you comparing me to Snape?"

He blushed – it turned out that sometimes he would still stumble with words in her presence. "No... I... That is..."

"I was kidding." She laughed at his attempts to say something. "Harry, don't worry that much. You really do know your potions. There wasn't that much for me to teach you. I'll bring you the ingredient table I mentioned next time."

"Next time?" Harry never felt as happy since the summer.

"You don't think that you learned everything already? Maybe next week?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "I can never thank you enough."

"You could just stay out of trouble."

"I'll try."

She hugged him goodbye and once again he was entranced by her closeness. He followed her with his eyes, watching every step she took, and then, listening to the silent riddle she was answering.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The students were harsh and cruel. They were whispering, when they thought he wouldn't hear. But he did hear every insult and notice every stare. He could even smell the hatred around him. There was so much of it in the air that he felt as if under the constant heated glare of Snape. It was, perhaps, even worse than the second year, as then, people at least feared him and spoke from a farther distance.

He tried to ignore everything as much as he could, but the wolf constantly reminded him of the surroundings. Harry could almost see the black wolf following him around and snarling at anyone talking about him. Perhaps he was losing it, but he smelled the swirl of the wind and the wolf walking nearby. Harry saw the steps he jumped over, who the fangs were barred at... And most surprisingly, he could fell the warmth of the black fur and the compassion in the greenish eyes.

His dreams were no longer violent, he always dreamt of being human and the usual scene where the wolf was circling him didn't end with pain – Harry just woke up each time, turned on the side and tried to sleep again.

His next meeting with Cho was shorter, as she had her own work to do... It meant that they only talked a bit about potions, scheduled another meeting the following week and went their own ways. It was somewhat unfulfilling, but it might have been worse.

Hermione was tiring herself as she even tried to make Ron see reason, but Harry didn't care. When he told her as much and tried to explain that Ron was not worth noting, she gave in, but didn't understand.

Ginny was a little more absent from his life than he hoped she would be, but she and her two twin brothers did find time to sit near him during the meals. The three of them tried to entertain him telling tales of the twins pranks, and Ginny's frequent retaliations. It felt slightly superficial, but Harry believed that it helped.

He longed to go back to the Forest and pour his pain again, but a part of him feared it. It was lucky that he didn't encounter anything dangerous, but the luck wasn't endless. Still he figured he would try it again sometime.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

One night, he swore he heard a howl, but listening through the open dormitory window he couldn't be sure if he hadn't just dreamed it. If the circumstances were different, he would have asked Ron, as he could smell him being awake, but now...

In the morning, he got greeted by an unpleasant surprise. The Slytherins were all wearing badges. They all bore the same message, in luminous letters that burnt brightly in the dimly lit underground passage:

SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY—THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION!

"Like them, Potter?" said Malfoy loudly as Harry approached. "And this isn't all they do - look!"

He pressed his badge into his chest, and the message upon it vanished, to be replaced by another one, which glowed: POTTER STINKS!

Some of the anger Harry had been feeling for days and days seemed to burst through a dam in his chest. He took out his wand and stepped towards Malfoy.

They each managed a spell, cast at the same time. Harry's hit Goyle in the face, and Malfoy's hit Hermione. Harry rammed into Malfoy, their wands falling on the ground with a shower of sparks. They both fell in a tangle of limbs. Malfoy winced as his side landed on the floor. As they rolled on the ground, Harry let out a howl of hunt and without thinking he lashed out with his teeth.

The wolf was howling with satisfaction as Harry's teeth sank into the flesh. Malfoy screamed.

The wolf made him roll to the side, evading the red spell from Snape's wand.

"Potter!" He roared throughout the whole dungeon.

Harry got up, slowly, and turned to face him. Snape winced. Some Slytherin girl screamed.

Harry spat the piece of the ear on the ground. His teeth were bloody, and the trail of red drops marked his movements on the ground. His school robes were splashed with blood and torn in a few places, on his face there was a mark where Malfoy scratched him while they were down...

Malfoy was whining on the ground, clutching the remains his ear, blood flowing from the wound.

"Fenrir." Snape breathed out, barely audible by anyone.

Harry, though, could hear it perfectly. He reached down and took his wand in his hand. Everyone was silent, Snape opened and closed his mouth, apparently both lacking and having too many words to say. His gaze was fixed to Harry's eyes and the wolf was snarling viciously against it, for some unknown reason. But Harry met the gaze defiantly, reliving all the anger he had pent up just before seeing the badges.

Snape recoiled slightly in surprise, but then grabbed his arm and started dragging him away. "We'll see you expelled for this, _boy_."

Harry didn't resist.

"Crabbe, get Malfoy to the hospital wing." With that, everyone were left standing stunned, still unsure of what exactly had happened.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

They entered Headmaster's Office with a bang.

"Severus, Harry..." Headmaster's voice waivered, seeing blood on Harry's lips. His voice grew heavy. "What happened?"

"_Potter_ decided to take a _bite_ out of _Malfoy._"

"Is that the truth?"

"Yes." Harry muttered, unconsciously licking his lips. The taste was slightly repulsive.

Dumbledore slumped in his chair, looking as old as he was. "Alastor..."

Moody entered and strolled towards Harry, his wooden leg echoing loudly throughout the Headmaster's Office. He grabbed Harry's chin and leaned to look closer. The eye was spinning like in a tornado.

"Merlin." Moody growled. "The boy is a werewolf. You knew and didn't tell me?" He turned to Headmaster. "Why?"

"It was of no importance."

"Albus." Snape was still fuming. "_That_ is not important. The boy is _vicious_ and cannot control himself. You can't expect to let him _stay_ here after such a display."

The full weight of his actions started to weight down on Harry. He was starting to understand that this time Snape could finally reach his life goal and expel him from Hogwarts.

"Should I get my things, sir?" Harry's voice was hollow, his mind empty, but for the echoing howls.

"There is no need to, my boy."

"WHAT?" Snape was trembling in anger. "Potter howls like a madman, jumps on Draco, tears off his ear, with a bite Fenrir Greyback would have been proud of, and _you_ are going to let him _go_?"

Moody stood back a few steps and just watched the scene.

"Severus, please. You, as well as I, do know that we cannot expel Harry, because he is a champion in the Tournament."

"That shouldn't allow him a free reign!"

"You are, of course, right. Harry..." Albus was looking at him intently. "I know you didn't intend to hurt Mr. Malfoy, but we cannot let it go completely unpunished. The Triwizard Tournament does restrict my possible choices, but we will have to take all one hundred and twenty seven points from Gryffindor and serve a detention each week for the remainder of the term with professor Snape. In addition, you are banned from visiting Hogsmeade this term."

Moody looked curious.

"Also, we are to look for the culprit, who poured the rage-inducing potion in Mr. Potter's drink. A harsh prank, but done without any trails. I hope that Alastor will assist us in finding the criminal."

Harry nodded; he figured it could have been worse. Snape wasn't happy, but agreed and didn't even push for harsher punishment. Moody was smirking for some reason.

"Now, if that is out of the way, Alastor, could you please lead our champion to the wand weighing ceremony? I'll join you in a few minutes." Albus waved his wand lazily and cleaned the traces of the struggle from Harry's robes and face. "After it, we will have to talk again, my boy." His last words were directed at Harry.

Harry left with Moody half dragging him out the door, under the murderous glare of professor Snape.

"Severus, your assistance might be needed for young Mr. Malfoy in the hospital wing. There may be..." The door slammed shut.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter has a paragraph or two directly from Rowling's Goblet of Fire. Also, there is a line from Philosopher's Stone. I didn't mark them as not to break the flow.<p>

Updates next week.

Merry Christmas.


	9. The Ocean

**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter belongs to Rowling?

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter IX

The Ocean

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

They were walking through the corridors, Mad-Eye's wooden leg echoing loudly with each step. Harry was silent, and didn't exactly look where they were going. The smells couldn't tell much, there was some horrible scent that was distracting him. It mostly disappeared as Moody closed his flask – Harry figured it was some kind of medicine. He didn't ask.

"So... Potter, you bit off Malfoy's ear?"

Harry winced.

"Be careful, Lucius will be furious. You do know that it might not heal properly?"

"What?"

Mad-Eye grinned, on his disfigured face it looked threatening. "Your bites are always resistant to healing. The rage inducing potion will work as an excuse, but you have just tipped of the Malfoy's about your condition... Of course, they might not connect all the dots... You have to be more vigilant, Potter."

They finally reached the destination, and Harry was ushered inside.

Bagman suddenly spotted Harry, got up quickly, and bounded forward.

"Ah, here he is! Champion number four! In you come, Harry, in you come… nothing to worry about, it's just the wand weighing ceremony, the rest of the judges will be here in a moment -"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The wolf was driven to the corner – the broom cupboard was small, and Rita Skeeter was too near to his liking. But, obviously, she didn't care, as her attention was fixated on his face.

She leaned toward Harry and said, "So, Harry… what made you decide to enter the Triwizard Tournament?"

"Er -" Harry mumbled, watching the quill write sentences where he had said nothing.

"Ignore the quill, Harry... Now – why did you decide to enter the tournament, Harry?"

"I didn't." He barred through his teeth.

Rita ignored him. "Would you say that the stress and excitement is getting to you?"

He blinked.

"Are you usually this aggressive?"

His wolf stirred in anger, making him narrow his eyes.

Rita saw it in his eyes and gulped. "I see. What do you think your parent's would say about your actions when entering and today's little incident?"

"What?"

"Was there a reason you decided to fight without magic?"

Harry muttered something similar to the "rage-inducing potion".

Rita smiled like a hawk swooping on its prey. But, before she could say anything more, he was saved by Dumbledore.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The wand weighting and photographs took a long time.

After the whole torturous experience, as he always felt the slightly disturbed glances of the other champions, Dumbledore grabbed his arm and led him back to his office.

There, waiting just outside the gargoyle, was a fuming Lucius Malfoy.

Harry was grateful that Albus was near him, as otherwise it looked like the Malfoy senior was going to kill him. The smell of anger and pain was extremely strong, even worse than the usual Snape.

"Dumbledore!" His voice was cold, distant. "Please explain why my son had to suffer an attack on his person? More, why is the culprit not expelled? Don't you care about the safety of this school?"

"Lucius, I assure you, Harry is also the victim of the situation."

"So you _claim_."

"Lucius, please, calm down. We can talk about this peacefully."

"Talk all you want, old fool, but I will see him..." Malfoy gave Harry a deadly smile. "In Azkaban for assaulting and mutilating my heir."

"Alas, the case has already been dealt with." Albus eyes were twinkling with intensity.

"How dare you! This will be brought before the Wizengamot."

"It won't be," said Albus calmly.

"Not while I'm still alive!"

"Lucius, I'm afraid you don't understand. It was an internal school matter. I, as Headmaster of this school, have already dealt with the problem, and already nominated a suitable punishment. The case is finished, as my authority in this matter is unquestionable."

"The board might disagree with you."

"But they still don't have the authority to overrule my punishment."

Lucius spat on the ground before the Headmaster and turned to leave. His last glance was directed at Harry, as were his parting words. "I will see you regret this, Potter."

When Mr. Malfoy disappeared round the corner, Albus smiled at Harry. "A most unpleasant man, don't you think so?"

Harry couldn't help but smile a little. That probably was the intention of the comment, as he was led up the stairs and back to the office.

"Harry..." Albus was back to his sombre mood. "Today was a tiring day for you, but I have to ask – what are your own thoughts."

The wolf stirred inside him, as if interested in the answer. "I... I made a mistake, sir..."

"And what was it, I wonder?"

"I believed that my wolf was helping me."

"Please elaborate what you have in mind..."

"When I was feeling lonelier than usual... betrayed by Ron... I went into the Forest. It was strange because I could feel the wolf helping me cope with everything..."

"Go on, I won't punish you for visiting the Forbidden Forest as there are no points to take away from Gryffindor." Albus looked interested.

"I just sat there on the huge stone, and could feel my wolf sitting nearby. In fact, I could feel him very strongly since then. He was near me all the time, when others were making fun. And when we met Malfoy, he betrayed me." Harry stumbled saying that. **You betrayed me**. The wolf growled inside, defiant and proud. "He urged me to attack and I complied, as I believed him. I didn't expect to get in a situation where I should oppose him. I figured the wolf would have been content with a few spells. But he pushed me to fight on and I don't know how, but he slipped past me and made me bite Draco. I can't feel him as clearly as before since I jumped Malfoy. I just can't let him surface, he might hurt someone..."

Harry slumped to the ground.

"They should lock me in Azkaban. I am _dangerous_. If I hurt Draco over bloody badges, how can I be sure I won't hurt anyone else?"

"My boy, you are too hard on yourself. In essence, the whole incident was on par with a simple exchange of jinxes in the hallway. You just charged in and... ah... used an unconventional weapon. Malfoy wouldn't be the first to be injured in a fight and he won't be the last. Your illness doesn't have to do anything with it."

"But his ear might not heal..."

"Who told you that?"

"Professor Moody, sir."

"Alastor is not completely wrong in this matter. It might be that young Mr. Malfoy has lost half an ear for good. But I have faith in Pomfrey's abilities."

"Sir, maybe... Fawkes could help?"

"A curious suggestion... I'll have to finish the wing after our conversation. Lemon drop?"

Harry shook his head, declining the treat, not even rising from the floor. "Is there anything that could help me fight the wolf?"

"I am still looking for more solution. There are a few things we might try, but I seriously doubt today is the day we might be considering them. Lupin is to join you again on the nearest moon, he will probably have something new to tell us."

"But I need to toss him aside. Toss _it_ aside. What if I meet Draco again?"

"We'll have to hope you will learn better control by yourself. Ultimately, this is the task you have to cope with by your own mental discipline. Alas – I cannot help you chain your wolf side... But we will have to be more careful regarding Draco. As it is obvious there is a sort of vendetta between you and neither of you is willing to make amends, your conversations will have to be restricted. You will be forbidden to seek each other out unless under the watch of a professor. We will try to uphold it at least for the term..."

"I promise to stay away from him as much as possible, sir."

"Good. Now, you might have wondered why I didn't expel you."

Harry nodded, listening to each and every word.

"Personally, I believe that your actions don't merit the highest punishment, and it is mainly because you didn't want the result we have before us. This was a mistake and I hold it as such, no more and no less. And I'll have you know, that even in an unlikely case where I wanted to have you expelled, I couldn't have. The magical contract, the one forcing you to participate, also forbids the Headmasters to change your school, including the unlikely event of expulsion. Of course, one might argue that you were entered without the school affiliation, but that doesn't remove the immunity of the champion."

"Isn't it a bit unfair? Letting me get away with anything?"

"Harry, you have just forgotten two important things. First – you are not the kind of person, who abuses rules for his gain, and second – the immunity extends to the end of the school year only..."

They stayed silent, only Fawkes let out a shot trill. The wolf snarled, as Harry tried to push him even further away.

"Now, Harry, I hope you don't mind, my presence is needed at the Hospital Wing. Thank you for your wonderful idea. Never forget important one thing – we trust you already, you just have to learn to trust yourself." Albus turned to the phoenix. "Fawkes – let us depart."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Detention with Snape was better than Harry feared. He was just forced to pickle rats' brains for three hours and a half. Even though the smell was bad, he just drank a dose of the numbing potion beforehand and ignored it altogether.

The remaining day, however was far worse. Even before the detention, he had a nightmare that left him restless for half a night, and during the day there was an addition amount of whispering and pointing.

Only after the detention, late in night, did he found out the reason – there was a set of articles written by Rita Skeeter in the Daily Prophet. The paper was printed in the afternoon and it already had circled the whole school with lighting speed and was being quoted everywhere he went.

Much of the front page had been given over to a picture of Harry; the first article (continuing on pages two and six) had been all about Harry, the names of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang champions (misspelled) had been squashed into the last line of the first article, and Cedric hadn't been mentioned at all.

The first one was just embarrassing and annoying. The few words he uttered were turned into a boast.

_I know they'd be very proud of me if they could see me now… I suppose I do get my strength from my parents. I know nothing will hurt me during the tournament, because they're watching over me. Having managed to trick the cup, I will do all in my power to emerge the victor; it's the least I can do to their memory. I will use my determination and channel my anger against the tasks set against me._

She had interviewed other people about him too.

_Harry has at last found love at Hogwarts. His close friend, Colin Creevey, says that Harry is rarely seen out of the company of one Hermione Granger, a pretty Muggle-born. His year mate, Tracey Davis, suggests that there exists a competition for Harry's heart. „We saw him spending time with half-blood Chang, a rather more fitting match for Potter." Here at Daily Prophet, we hope that the aggressive side of Harry won't hurt the one he loves, and wish that the youngest champion doesn't break too many hearts._

The first article was mostly embarrassing, but the second piece, on the pages seven and eight was much worse. CHANNELING INNER ANGER – **POTTER**'S BLOODY REVENGE. The letters were huge, and the word 'Potter' looked as if it was dripping blood on the article bellow.

The first part of the article went to describe the events. It was surprisingly accurate, except for the misprinted Draco's name in a few places.

_The Hogwarts champion is so determined that when his resolution was questioned he retaliated with an unseen ruthlessness... Witnesses claim, that after losing his wand in a resulting fight, Potter resorted to a form of Muggle combat, going so far as to use his teeth in the fight... Drake Malfoy, the unlucky Potter's opponent, is currently confined in the Hospital Wing, fighting for his life..._

_His green eyes, glittering with the intensity of a killing curse, narrowed when the talk about the fight started. These were the eyes of a determined person, retaliating for the harsh words received. He didn't want to talk about his parent's opinion on the fight, but his pose told me that he believes they would stand with him no matter what. Harry didn't admit that the rage-inducing potion was just an excuse, but also didn't claim otherwise..._

The second page was worse, analysing his actions and blaming both him and Dumbledore.

_Lucius Malfoy had this to share with our readers, "the attack on the scion of the noble and ancient Malfoy family was bloody and without mercy. I cannot convey the extent of my sorrow, to see both my heir injured and to know that the attacker is going to be left unpunished. Not only does the Headmaster try everything in his power to fabricate a story of an alleged rage-inducing potion, but he also hides Potter behind the immunity of the School Champion. Such a move is a careful step of giving the violent and disturbed boy a free reign in the school. I would even go as far as to claim, that by allowing Potter to participate in the Tournament, Headmaster wishes to keep the dangerous boy out of Azkaban. It is my civil duty to see that this offence doesn't go unpunished. The moment his immunity ends, we will be seeing our champion in court."Will we be seeing the echo of this story again in the summer? Most probably yes, as the current head of the Malfoy family is out for blood..._

_We, the staff of the Daily Prophet, are not going to take sides in this matter, leaving the decision for our readers. However we would also like to condemn the viciousness and beastlike behaviour of one Harry Potter. We hope that his further anger will be directed at the three tasks of the tournament rather than his peers, and warn the readers to approach Mr. Potter with caution._

The only two good things out of his portrayal as a determined but cruel hero was that people were afraid to approach him and the badges were gone. No one wanted to be attacked. It felt bad being feared, but gave Harry a much needed respite.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

It was a day of the full moon again. He would meet Remus, and probably even Sirius... There were a few hours left until the evening, so he was sitting at the library, waiting for Cho. He hadn't seen her for a few days, but he hoped she would show up. The potion Snape gave him yesterday was a new variation he had to try. In human language that meant that the taste was even more disgusting. He figured Snape took it as a challenge – making the worst tasting batch of the Wolfsbane potion ever.

His dreams since the fight with Malfoy were as strong and violent as usual, perhaps a bit more intense, but he always tried to push the wolf away each time he felt it surface. He was mostly successful in that regard, but still feared the arriving moon.

"Harry?"

He couldn't understand how he missed her scent. Perhaps it got lost between the books. He turned to see Cho, only to blink in surprise. Her eyes were slightly swollen and her clothes a few tear stains one could easily miss. There was an odour of the sea after storm.

She smiled weakly at him. "I'm sorry..."

He stood up, and with all Gryffindor courage tried to take her in a hug, but she recoiled back. He froze in place, disbelief and pain creeping on his face. "Cho?"

"I... Have to think, Harry... I'm sorry. Marietta said that I should send you it in a letter, but I think..." A new tear appeared on her face. "I'm afraid, Harry."

His name was spoken softly but his arms fell down, fearing what she would say.

"Not of you... I know it's probably just an accident, a harsh prank aimed at you... I don't believe the stuff Malfoy says about you... But my mother, she reads the Prophet..."

Harry couldn't take his gaze of the tears running down her face. One, two, three salty drops of the ocean hiding behind her eyes.

"She sent me a letter. I'm sorry, but..."

"I understand." Harry said only these two words, but it felt like tearing off his legs.

"I can't be near you today... after a week or two, it will all quiet down... I'll write to my mother... I hoped..." She fell silent and looked around for a second... "I know you are not dangerous, but..."

The wolf howling inside, he reached out and gently wiped a tear off her cheek. "I'm sorry."

She shivered at his touch. "It's not your fault they slipped you a potion..." She ended with a whisper, "I'll write you."

Cho ran away with a swirl of wind. It smashed into him with the full strength of parchment, tears, hurt, admiration, fear, and something deep he didn't yet understand. She was a friend who believed him. She was something that started being a part of him, like Hermione was, like Ron used to be before, something the Twins and Ginny tried to be. His **pack**. What hurt the most was that there was something unsaid, something that didn't happen.

And she still believed him. Him, over those horrible articles.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He pushed through Snape, threw a steaming goblet on the ground and dived towards the black dog sitting in the classroom. Padfoot gave a surprised bark, but didn't resist. He only sat there for a second, engulfed by Harry's arms and then licked Harry. Remus leaned closer and ruffled Harry's hair.

It was a bit too much for him to handle, and he broke into uneven sobs, clutching the black hound even closer.

"Harry..." Remus whispered into his ear. "We are here... With you..."

It took Harry ten minutes to even be able to speak. The dog licked his face a few more times, until Harry recoiled back and fell on his bottom.

"Sirius!" he finally managed. "It's gross."

His godfather shifted into human form. "It got your attention."

Harry gasped, as Sirius voice was very weak, and his throat bore a deep set of scars, marks of the last fight. "You are not going to stay when we change."

"Like hell I am." Black was staring at him as if he had said something foolish. "Try to toss me out."

"Sirius. I might hurt you again."

"Pomfrey will patch me up."

"Moony, tell him..."

"Oh, no, I'm not taking sides in this." Remus winked at them.

"I'm not joking!" Harry could understand them trying to help him, but this was going overboard from his view. "I almost killed Malfoy. I barely missed his throat, and that was only because he moved his head to the side. And that was while I was human! I can't risk my only godfather – what if the wolf still holds the grudge?"

"Can't you ask him?" Sirius was still trying to stay.

"It," said Harry, "and no."

"Maybe Harry's right. You did fight with the wolf last time. And you're still injured."

"Nonsense, I feel great." Sirius tried to say it loud and proud, but his voice betrayed him and sounded more like a croak than human speech. "Well, almost."

"Alright, Sirius, you can stay at the side, we'll conjure a cage," said Remus.

They did so. Sirius gave Harry another hug and dove into the small metal cage. It didn't look as good as one of Dumbledore's, but it was close in terms of strength.

After Sirius was locked away, Lupin finally told them what Harry was slightly afraid to ask:

"Last moon, I spent with a pack I barely know. I asked them a few things... It was mostly nothing new, a few rumours of Fenrir speaking of the new moonrise, a few good locations to know... But i did manage to find a similar case."

"Cut to the point, Moony." Sirius was trying to rattle the bars. To credit the conjured cage, it didn't bulge even a millimetre. "Reminds me too much of one cold island, I want to talk about something more cheerful. We all seriously need a laugh."

"As I was saying..." Remus ignored Black completely. "I found a similar case. It's not exact, mind you, but as similar as it could get. It's not very helpful, but..."

Sirius stopped moving, Harry just stayed silent.

"There was a man, around his thirties; he got it into his head that he wanted to be a werewolf. A complete and utter fool, but... So he found himself one Fenrir Greyback, and asked to be bitten. Greyback being what he was almost tore his head off with his bite. Now, the unclear part – it all depends whether Fenrir killed him, or he did survive. It's hard surviving Greyback, but Fenrir probably does have some degree of control as he would kill more if he didn't. Maybe he even gulped down a vial just for the occasion. So, the tale is that the man survives, but only barely. When the next moon comes, he is almost dead. He tells everyone of the great dreams he dreams all the time. Of course the night of the moon makes him transform and heals him. So, he has his first change, rages a bit, and decides that running without control isn't what he wanted, so gets himself a dose of Wolfsbane Potion for the next moon. And it doesn't work on him. At all. He changes at his home, kills an uncle and his younger brother. He tries the potion for the next moon again, without any results."

"And?" Padfoot nagged Remus to continue. "How did he solve the problem?"

"That's why it is not very useful. He didn't. He just couldn't control the wolf."

"What happened to him?" Harry was dreading the answer.

"He killed himself. Jumped off a cliff." Remus shifted uncomfortably. "The one who told me the story, said that the fool did a vital mistake – he wanted to be a wolf, but when he got the chance, he tried to be human..."

"Does that mean the potion is not going to work for me? Ever?"

"I wouldn't say that. You are trying to establish your superiority? I believe it's just the question of time..."

"What it it's not?" Harry looked defeated. "Maybe I'll stay dangerous forever..."

"Harry, we believe in you, you can push the wolf away. And Severus is trying to come up with a stronger variant of the potion. It will work. Albus has told me about the last time."

"Yeah, I almost killed Sirius." Harry's voice was bitter.

"It takes a bit more than those tiny bites to kill me." Sirius croaked. "But I'll admit – it was a spectacular failure last time."

"Never mind that." Remus scratched his arm distractedly. "What I meant is we know – the phoenix didn't help. There is not much we can try, but I think I know a little thing we could try. Do you remember what we talked about before the first change?"

Harry nodded. "Most of it."

"It's slightly different in each case, but I talked about it with few of us, and the main things are the same. You said you can feel the wolf most of the time. Did you notice the Leap these four times?"

"The Leap?"

"The second the wolf rushes past you. They told me they just named it thus. It's the trick of their pack; only on the nights when they manage get the potion, though. I have told you that when the change happens, the wolf is up front and you become a passenger. The moment it happens is quite distinct. If you are looking for it, you can notice."

Harry thought back. "Perhaps..."

"Don't worry; I was as confused as you are now. All you have to do is slightly relax and as you feel the first shiver of the night, you try to reach out at the wolf with your mind. Sort of calling it forward and stepping to the side when it answers. Then, you might fell it crouch, and at the very moment you notice it leap, you lash out and try to hold him back as much as possible. Do you understand?"

"I guess, but how do I know..."

"When in the exact moment to act? You will feel it if you are concentrating only on the Leap itself. Their method does work – I tried it last full moon. The wolf becomes disoriented if caught mid leap, and the dominance is slightly stronger. It's not much, but it might give you the edge the phoenix couldn't. Do you think we could try that today?"

"Wait." Harry scratched his head. "When the phoenix sang his song, for a second I thought I was at the forest, looking at the wolf. I remember it leaping towards me... Is that something like way you have in mind?"

"Somewhat similar, I guess..." Remus shrugged. "It should be different, as it won't be the phoenix that draws the wolf out, but rather you doing it yourself. Coupled with a more potent potion, it could work..."

"It probably won't..." said Harry.

"Nonsense," came another croak from Sirius. "You are stronger that the wolf. The son of James shouldn't give up. Now, I recon we have a few more minutes, but I forbid you two speaking about the change. You can even speak about something bad; just give your wolves a rest, alright?"

"Easy for you to say." Harry and Remus muttered at the same time.

"I was meaning to ask you a few things." Sirius coughed a few times. "How is the whole mess with the Tournament?"

"Perfect." You could taste pain in Harry's voice. "Spectacular. The mess with Ron, then Malfoy and finally I'll have to face something unknown in a few days. And, I have no idea what am I going to do."

"Ron?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The prat believes that I entered the bloody thing myself."

"That must have hurt." Remus grabbed Harry into a half-hug.

"It does. No one believes me..."

Sirius looked like he was thinking of tearing down the cage and joining them. "No one?"

"Well, there is Hermione... Perhaps Ginny and the Twins... There was Cho..."

Catching the hurt in the last word Sirius banged his head on the bars. "Was?" He was afraid to ask, but he had to.

"It's complicated." Harry sobbed silently. "Her mother reads the Prophet and..."

"Chang?" Remus interrupted. "There was some truth in the article?"

"What? No, we were just friends. I think... I really liked talking with her..."

Remus held him closer. "I know it's complicated with people you like..."

Harry reddened a little.

"STOP!" Sirius was shouting as loud as his throat let him. Then he broke down in coughs.

The both turned at Padfoot, startled.

"You _can't_ take any advice about girls from _Remus_."

"What?" Remus looked stunned.

Harry smiled for the briefest second.

"You know it's true. Now, listen there, Harry. Remus has it into his head that werewolves are different in that regard. It's a load of tosh. You are the same as us, mere mortals. Don't even try distancing yourself from _anyone_ you like. Ever."

"You know it's dangerous..." Remus began.

"See, Harry – he's barmy... Promise me you won't listen to that old wolf."

Harry broke into a short laugh. Sirius was barking his own laughter. Remus looked insulted, but after a few seconds joined in. They quieted down after a while.

Sirius sat on the floor of the cage. "See, that's better." His voice was barely audible, he probably overexerted himself laughing. "Now, one last thing before you two start your jumps, leaps or whatever you want to do... Harry, when you find any kind of problem, or when there is anything you might want to know, please, don't hesitate to owl me. If I could, I would give you the Floo address..." He struggled for a second. "You'll have to ask Albus..."

Harry nodded and noticed Remus shivering at his side. "Sirius, change, quickly."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter has a quote or two directly from Rowling's Goblet of Fire and pieces from Rita's articles in Daily Prophet. I didn't mark them as not to break the flow.<p>

Extra update brought to you in the spirit of Christmas.


	10. The Whispers

**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter bows to no one, except Rowling.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter X

The Whispers

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry closed his eyes and reached out.

_There was a growl, a flash of green eyes and black fur._

He sat down so that he wouldn't fall and shivered again.

_The wolf leapt forward. They both met mid leap, and Harry felt fangs tear into him. Everywhere._

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Padfoot was scared. It wasn't the two wolves in the vicinity and it certainly wasn't the black one trying to get through to him in the first hour of the night. It wasn't the hungry stare the green eyes gave him. Padfoot wasn't scared by the feral gaze he was under all night – the black wolf sat there, ready to spring at any time, watching.

He feared for his godson. It was just another full moon, when he couldn't just bend the beast to his whim. Harry must have convinced himself to be dangerous to everyone... At this rate, making the boy laugh would become harder and harder.

He gave out a sigh. It didn't sound as a sound dog would make, but Sirius was more of a godfather at the moment. Was there something he could do to raise Harry's spirits?

A huge grin crept into the hound's face. He knew just the thing.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry was shaking. This time, he managed to struggle for a few moments. It only provoked the wolf more. **Nothing was working**... He drank the potions offered, with the bitter disappointment. Remus and Sirius were with him while the Pomfrey ran the usual tests... **Nothing new came up**. Pomfrey left, yawning and sleepy.

Remus said his goodbyes reluctantly, urging Harry to go to the tower and get at least an hour of sleep.

Harry nodded, and started looking for his Cloak.

"Remus," Sirius whispered. "Why are you not going?"

"What?" Remus blinked.

"You were supposed to go see Dumbledore?"

"I'm going to."

"Yesterday he said he was going to leave earlier today. You'd better hurry."

Remus nodded and rushed out. Harry put on the Cloak and wanted to leave too, but Sirius put a hand onto his head.

"Harry?"

Harry turned around, curious, and poked his head out of the cloak.

"Follow me. Quick. Before Remus catches on. Don't forget the Cloak." Sirius winked and changed into the Grim.

Harry, still sore from the night, had some trouble following the pace, but Padfoot was considerate enough to linger a little at corners.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

As they entered the forest, Harry started getting suspicious.

"Sirius?"

Only a bark answered him.

"Where are we going?"

Two barks and a wig of tail.

"Sirius."

The hound stopped and sniffed the air.

Harry did the same – it was near the place he spent the night a while ago. Also, there were humans in the forest. Was it someone Sirius hoped he could meet? There might have even been a familiar burnt leather smell, but it was a bit too far to be sure.

But then, Padfoot turned and ran to the side, rushing past the huge boulder. Harry followed by the sound and scent, as he was too tired to keep up the pace.

Then, he felt a faint touch of magic and soon found himself in a small clearing.

There, sitting on a huge fallen tree, was a grinning Sirius.

"Here. I wanted you to see this."

Harry looked around. There was the fallen tree, a buried flat stone in the middle of the field, and lots of bushes around. There was nothing special about the place. He sniffed the air and couldn't understand the few familiar scents he felt. They were week, barely discernable from the forest background. There was a light shimmer of magic in the air. Not the usual aura of the forest, but something... soothing. His gaze returned to Sirius.

Padfoot jumped down and crouched to touch the stone, but, just before reaching it, he hesitated and stopped his fingers mid air.

After a few silent seconds, Harry's curiosity got the upper hand. "What is this place? What are you doing?"

Sirius shook his head as if returning from trance. He coughed a few times. "Sorry. The place is... It's kind of trivial – it's the place where we spent our first moon with Moony. At the same time, it has a few memories."

Harry looked around as if with new eyes. Here, his father, Prongs, stood as a stag. Here, Lupin found the difference of the lone change and one shared with someone.

"Did you return here each time?"

Sirius smiled. "Only a few times. It is kind of a boring place to be. It is marked, though."

He finally touched the stone. Where his fingertips touch the stone it started glowing slightly. Then the glow quickly raced on the flat surface like wildfire in the grassland. The glow faded, leaving thin brown lines, engraved on the stone. Letters. Each word was written with different handwriting:

_**Moony**_

_**Wormtail**_

_**Padfoot**_

_**Prongs**_

Harry knelt near the stone, and reached out to touch his father's mark. The stone was cold, and the inscription didn't feel any different from the stone itself. His fingers still were tracing the letters. He was imagining the aroma of his father in the clearing. It smelt of stag, the sparking smile and quidditch...

Sirius was looking at Wormtail's, silent.

"Thank you." Harry muttered.

Sirius shook his head in defeat, and glanced at Harry, their eyes meeting for a second. His voice was still raspy. "You are welcome, Harry... I'm sorry that we didn't bring Moony. He wouldn't have let me lead you to the forest. But he would have liked for you to know of this place."

Harry smiled at that.

"Now that you know of it, it will be easier for you to find it. If you ever so desire. Don't spend too much time here."

"Easier?"

"There is a weak aversion ward tied into the stone. When you know where this place is, you will have no problems finding it. Otherwise it's easy to miss..." Sirius laid back on his back and stared at the sky. "I remember waking up here. The sky was brightening as it is now... Good times..." He coughed a few times and sat back up. "Look, Harry, I know you feel that you are like a burden to us. You are not. We love to spend time with you." Sirius coughed a few more times, his voice barely above a whisper. "I remember Moony gazing at us with the same look you are giving us now. We are not going to go away. You are not alone... I know, it must be really hard for you with Wolfsbane not working, but Remus spent all his time at Hogwarts without it. And we were safe. There were some scratches and bites, but we never got hurt much."

"I did bite you in..."

"Nonsense. You were fine, remember your second moon? We spent the night sleeping near each other?"

"But..."

"That was the phoenix. It's his fault. Stupid bird."

Harry chuckled, imagining Fawkes' reaction to the words.

They stayed there for a time, silent... Harry was deep in thought. His father had been there. And not even once, but a few times... He believed that there was a trace here. Someone important to him, someone leaving an imprint, the smells of the stag and the snitch...

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry sniffed the air. There it was again - a faint familiar scent, someone he knew. Ron? He glanced at his godfather, who was watching him intently.

"There is someone in the Forest... nearby..." Harry was whispering. "I think I know them."

"Is this your way of asking my permission to go check?" Sirius whispered back. "Come on, we both can go."

Harry though about the breakfast he might be late to, but there was no man to discuss it with - Sirius was already a black hound, and was looking for a trail himself. Harry smiled and donned his Cloak.

They were slowly creeping through the forest, nearing the scents they both could feel clearer and clearer. Harry recognized Hagrid and someone who must have been a Weasley, but he couldn't tell which one, except that it wasn't Ron nor Ginny. There were also two others he couldn't distinguish.

Then, he recognized the Weasley – Charlie.

"What is Charlie doing here?" He muttered under his breath.

If Padfoot heard that, he wasn't showing anything, and just continued creeping forward. Harry had no other choice, but follow on. Finally they were near enough to hear the bits of the conversation.

"...clear the area... fence... champions... four dragons..."

Harry stopped dead in his tracks. Dragons? He could see the shapes of men looking around the edge of the forest, quite far from the castle and the lake. He could hear Hagrid asking if he could visit to look at the beasts when they arrive and Charlie assuring him it was possible.

"Sirius," he whispered to the hound; his voice full of fear, "what am I going to do?"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

When Remus exited the headmaster's office, a black dog jumped at him, grabbed the hem of his cloak and started dragging him somewhere.

"Padfoot? Where are you...?" Lupin turned to the side when he heard uneven breathing from someone invisible. "Harry? Aren't you supposed to be having breakfast?"

Harry removed the Cloak as they entered the nearest empty room. Sirius shifted and closed the door.

"So, what was so important, that you had to drag Harry from breakfast?"

"You need to teach him the Conjunctivitis Curse." Sirius winked at Harry. "I'll explain later."

"What?"

"How did you manage to teach the Defence class? You need to teach him the Conjunctivitis Curse."

"I heard you the first time. Why?" Remus was looking at Harry.

"We overheard people talking – the first task is going to be... dragons." Harry was still trying to catch his breath from running. "Sirius changed for a moment, told me to follow him quickly and ran here." He turned to his godfather. "What is the Conjunctivitis Curse?"

"Dragons?" Lupin raised an eyebrow in question. "Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. What am I going to do?"

"Look, we can debate about it all day, or you could teach him the curse." Sirius piped in. "Your wandwork is better refined and you are the Defence Professor. Teach him."

"Against a dragon?" Remus blinked a few times. "It might even work..."

"Might?" Harry was confused. "What is the Conjunctivitis...?"

"Sorry," said Lupin, "It's a simple curse, usually aimed the eyes, to achieve the best effect. One of the few things a single wizard has at his disposal when facing a dragon or anything with weaker eyes. It's slightly risky, as even a blinded dragon is very dangerous... Take out your wand, I'll show you the movements..."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry was walking the corridor, alone, the scents annoying him. Wherever he turned, he could smell Cedric. It was maddening. He had cheated and heard about the task ahead of others. And dragons... And Cedric didn't know about the Dragons at all... Even being a Seventh Year, it would be difficult for him. Harry had a single spell at his disposal and still was afraid. Should he tell the other champions? Diggory was even nearby...

Making up his mind, he rushed up a staircase, finding Diggory with a few of his friends. Harry hesitated for a moment. Harry didn't want to talk to Cedric in front of them; they were among those who had been quoting Rita Skeeter's articles every time they thought he couldn't hear them. He followed Cedric at a distance and saw that he was heading toward the Transfiguration classroom. This gave Harry an idea. Pausing at a distance from them, he pulled out his wand, and took careful aim.

"_**Diffindo**_!"

Cedric's bag split. Parchment, quills, and books spilled out of it onto the floor. Several bottles of ink smashed.

"Don't bother," said Cedric in an exasperated voice as his friends bent down to help him. "Tell McGonagall I'm coming, go on…"

This was exactly what Harry had been hoping for. He slipped his wand back into his robes, waited until Cedric's friends had disappeared into their classroom, and hurried up the corridor, which was now empty of everyone but himself and Cedric.

"Hi," said Cedric, picking up a copy of A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration that was now splattered with ink. "My bag just split… brand-new and all…"

"Cedric," said Harry, "the first task is dragons."

"What?" said Cedric, looking up.

"Dragons," said Harry, speaking quickly, in case Professor McGonagall came out to see where Cedric had got to. "I don't know much, but there are four of them. My go... friend said it's unlikely for us to fight one, so we'll probably have to get past them."

Cedric stared at him. Harry saw some of the panic he'd felt yesterday morning flickering in Cedric's grey eyes.

"Are you sure?" Cedric said in a hushed voice.

"Almost," said Harry. "I've seen dragon handlers preparing the place and heard them talking about it..."

"But how did you find out? We're not supposed to know…"

"Never mind," said Harry quickly, "I just did."

Cedric straightened up, his arms full of inky quills, parchment, and books, his ripped bag dangling off one shoulder. He stared at Harry, and there was a puzzled, almost suspicious look in his eyes.

"Why are you telling me?" he asked.

Harry shook his head, disbelief in his face. "It's only fair..."

"Mr. Potter, would you please let Mr. Diggory attend my class?" McGonagall was standing in the doorway to the classroom. "I'm sure you could finish the discussion elsewhere, after my lesson is over." She motioned for Diggory to enter and turned to face Harry. "And Mr. Potter, don't you have a History of Magic class to attend to?"

He nodded and ran, hearing Cedric mutter: "Thank you."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He found Krum in the library, sitting with a pile of books, facing the direction where Hermione was writing some essay. There were only a few girls watching the Quidditch star, but he knew that there would soon be more of them. He strolled past the girls, making some of them shudder and approached Viktor with a determined stride, feeling his strong scent of steel.

He sat next to the Bulgarian and saw his eyes widen.

"Vot is it?" Krum's eyes darted to Hermione and back to Harry. His voice was slightly angry.

Harry coughed and whispered. "Dragons."

"Vot are you saying?"

"Dragons. The first task. It's Dragons."

Krum's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything.

Harry got up and turned to leave, girls moving out of the way to let him pass. Many bore curious faces, but Harry was sure he said it quietly enough.

As he turned around the corner, he heard the hurried steps gaining on him. Harry was walking slowly and turned to face Viktor when he was a few steps before him.

Krum grabbed his shoulder and dragged him near the wall. The wolf growled in anger, but Harry ignored _it_. He just met the Bulgarians intense stare with one of his own. There were a few people around, a few of them whispering, but Harry didn't listen. The silence between them lasted for a few seconds.

"Vot are you trying to accomplish?"

"Nothing." Harry was already regretting his decision somewhat, but there was no turning back, not when he had already told him. "Let me go."

Surprisingly, Krum released the grip.

"You haff seen them? Vhy are you telling me this?"

Harry laughed; it was one of the fake laughs he took to using recently. "You don't believe me? Don't. I don't care – I did what I thought was right."

Krum had a thoughtful expression of his face. "Karkaroff said..." He noticed the people staring and didn't finish the sentence. "You are very strange, Potter. I look forward to the task."

They both went their own ways.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Fleur was the most difficult to find. He considered asking other Beauxbatons students about her, but figured he wouldn't get any straight answer. The Map didn't even help him much, he didn't find her, only noticed one Bartemius Crouch walking near the forest. Probably checking on the dragons, they should have been arriving by now.

He solved the problem looking for the Veela trace in the air. He could barely remember it from the Quidditch Cup, but it proved to be enough. He found her walking towards the Beauxbatons' Carriage, with a few other girls. Harry gulped, but still continued on. When he was nearby, they turned to look at him. He felt the small tingle of Veela charm, and his wolf snarled, resisting and angry. Harry gladly noticed that it was very week and he could ignore her allure completely.

"Fleur?" he asked, "could we talk for a minute?"

The girl gave him a long, hard stare, probably thinking what could _he_ want with _her_.

"It's important."

She exchanged some words in French with her friends. Harry could see amusement in all of them. One of the girls giggled.

"It's about the tournament."

Fleur muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'little boy' and then had another quick chat in French. Harry waited patiently. Then, her friends moved on to the Carriage, and she stayed behind.

"It's about the first task." He watched her raise an eyebrow. "It's dragons."

"What is ze meaning of zis?" She started fuming. "Ze little boy is trying to cheat? Do you take me for ze fool?"

He felt a wave of her anger lash out from her mind. He growled, baring his teeth in response. They just stood there, staring at each other with flaming anger in their eyes, when a rough voice interrupted them.

"Potter. Come speak with me in my office."

He turned at Moody and, after giving another angry glare to Fleur, went with him. The clanking of the wooden leg followed them most of the way to Professors office. Moody closed the door behind them and turned to look at Harry, his magical eye fixed upon him as well as the normal one.

"That was a very foolish thing you just did, Potter," Moody said quietly. "Noble, but foolish nonetheless."

Harry didn't know what to say; this wasn't the reaction he had expected at all.

"Sit down," said Moody, and Harry sat, looking around. "It was a mistake to give the advantage you had away to the girl. If you were entertaining a notion that she might be grateful, you should forget it. She's as much a fairy princess as I am..."

Professor trailed off, and Harry let his eyes wander throughout the office, taking in the countless dark detectors in the place. Moody returned him to the matter at hand quick enough.

"So… found out about the dragons, have you?"

Harry met Professor's gaze and stayed silent.

"It's all right," said Moody, sitting down and stretching out his wooden leg with a groan. "Cheating's a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and always has been."

"I didn't cheat," said Harry sharply. "It was - a sort of accident that I found out."

Moody grinned. "I wasn't accusing you, laddie. Still, you shouldn't have shared it with the other champions. Diggory, perhaps, others - not so much. You see, Karkaroff and Maxime won't be as fair as Dumbledore - they will try to give any advantage to their champions they can. They want to win. They want to beat Dumbledore. They'd like to prove he's only human."

Moody gave another harsh laugh, and his magical eye swivelled around so fast it made Harry feel queasy to watch it.

"So… got any ideas how you're going to get past your dragon yet?" said Moody.

"Some..." Harry allowed.

"And are you sure it will work?"

"Mostly." Harry allowed a small smile.

"Well, I'm not going to ask you to tell," said Moody gruffly. "I don't show favouritism, me. I'm just going to give you some good, general advice. And the first bit is – play to your strengths. Is your way doing that?"

"But, I haven't got any..." said Harry, before he could stop himself.

Moody growled, "you've got strengths if I say you've got them. Think about it, Potter." He took a swing from his flask - the scent of the potion inside as horrible as always. "Now, I have lesson plans to make." He waved a hand for Harry to leave. "Think about what I said."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Harry!" His name was said with a hint of strawberries.

"Hello, Ginny," said Harry, looking up from the book he was reading in the corner of the common room. "What is it?"

"I was just in Hogsmeade, and..." She paused for breath, as it appeared she was running most of the way here. "Hagrid met Charlie, and said that he shouldn't tell, but it's important that you meet him at midnight near his cabin. Hagrid has got to show you something."

Harry smiled a weak smile. "I think I know what he wants to show me. It's about the first task."

"You do?" She blinked. "What is it?"

Harry raised the book up, so she could see the cover. He didn't know which one was it, but he was reading all the books he could find on the subject. It didn't matter as all of them had a word 'dragon' in the title.

Ginny gasped. "But... Harry! Dragons are dangerous!"

Harry nodded, absently. The curse Moony taught him was a good choice, but he felt that there was something else he might have missed. He had to play to his strengths...

"What are you going to do?" She was slightly trembling, her red hair slightly messy and falling in front of her hair, covering her bright red-brown eyes.

"Well, Moony taught me a spell, but that might not be enough..."

"Moody?" She blinked. "Our defence professor?"

Harry laughed. "He _was_ our professor. Remus Lupin, also known as Moony."

"Moony? Oh..." Understanding filled her eyes. "I see why he could be named like that."

"But Moody did say something to me... He said that I should find a solution that is one of my strengths... I probably could outfly the dragon on a broom, but we are not allowed to bring anything..."

Ginny smiled. "Then you should just summon the broom to you."

Harry smacked his forehead lightly. "How could I have missed it?"

"You are simply thinking about too many things at once."

"Thank you." He bowed his head. "For your wisdom."

She gave a mock curtsy. "Ginny Weasley can solve all your problems."

Harry started snickering. "Now I just have to learn the summoning spell correctly. There is not much time. Do you know it?"

"I can't help you with that – it's a fourth year spell. The incantation is _**accio**_ – mum uses it a lot at home... Ask Hermione about it. Or the twins. Or, start listening in the classes."

"So... you can't solve all my problems?"

"I just did." She grinned. "I told you to ask Hermione."

"I am planning to." Harry got serious again. "Do you think I should go to Hagrid? I already know what he wants to show..."

"Maybe he has something else to say..."

"I could spend the time learning the _**accio**_ charm."

"You could visit him, ask about the dragons and then return to get some sleep."

Harry sighed. "It's still hard to get a decent night of sleep... I'll probably stay up late, at least try it out in the common room. Do you know where Hermione is?"

"She's in Hogsmeade... She was talking with Hagrid and Ron when I left. Hagrid was walking past, and as he was alone and had nothing else to do, he sat down to talk."

Harry flinched, hearing Ron's name. "And why isn't she here, to tell me that Hagrid wants to talk with me?"

"Well, she wanted to, but I said I could tell you that myself." She looked at him apologetically. "Don't worry, there is enough time to learn the charm."

"I hope you are right..."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Talking to Hagrid proved more difficult than Harry imagined – his first wizarding world friend had cut him off on anything he said, and just told him to follow and watch. Even knowing about the dragons Harry decided that it was worth seeing them – perhaps they were not as scary as he imagined and he was being really stupid when he told about it to the other champions. The experience only proved to him the importance of learning the _**accio **_spell.

As he was walking back from the dragon handlers, still grinning about Hagrid's choice for a date, he caught a few interesting scents in the air. One was a strong reek of dragons and flames in the distance – where Maxime and Hagrid had departed to, the other was an unmistakable presence of Karkaroff heading towards the dragons and the last one was something he felt a strange attachment to.

He moved out of the way, to let Karkaroff pas to the side and started sniffing around for the source of the wolfish smell. The night was dark and silent, but something was moving and watching him in the forest. Harry shook his head – he was under the Invisibility Cloak, so no one should be able to see him, much less watch him intently. And he has been moving as silently as possible, still to loud for his liking, but as good as he could get without proper practice.

A twig snapped to his right, and Harry quickly spun to face the direction. There he noticed it – at first, he thought it was his wolf, seemingly come to life, but then noticed the lack of green in the eyes, the slightly differently shaped snout and the lighter, even bordering on the grey, fur colour froze in place – it was a real wolf, looking at him curiously.

His own wolf stirred deep inside, as if asking to be released to respond to the challenge or scare the other one away.

They stood there in silence, all three of them. The grey wolf couldn't see him, but was staring at almost the exact spot where Harry was, perhaps slightly to the left. The inner one was slowly building up a growl, and Harry was sweating to bring down his control and furiously looking for a way out of the situation. The most he could do at a time was to watch the wolf to see the moment of the leap and...

They heard a roar of dragon fire in the distance and the smell of burned trees and dragon flame followed after. The grey wolf growled silently, and ran deep into forest, both away from the dragons and Harry.

Harry collapsed on the ground, his legs shaking too much to stand. The memories of the dreams played in his head, remembering the painful bites and the feeling of helplessness...

It took him an hour and a half to reach the Gryffindor tower.

Even then he was too afraid to go to sleep and just sat on the couch, watching the fire burn in the fireplace.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter has a few paragraphs directly from Rowling's Goblet of Fire. I didn't mark them as not to break the flow and form.<p> 


	11. The Fire

**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter will pay only to Rowling.

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XI

The Fire

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He left the Great Hall with Professor McGonagall. She didn't seem herself either; in fact, she looked nearly as anxious as Hermione or Ginny. As she walked him down the stone steps and out into the chilly November afternoon, she put her hand on his shoulder.

"Now, don't panic," she said, "just keep a cool head… We've got wizards standing by to control the situation if it gets out of hand… The main thing is just to do your best, and nobody will think any the worse of you… Are you all right?"

"Yes," Harry heard himself say. "Yes, I'm fine."

She was leading him toward the place where the dragons were, around the edge of the forest, but when they approached the clump of trees behind which the enclosure would be clearly visible, Harry saw that a tent had been erected, its entrance facing them, screening the dragons from view. Their smell however was in the air as thick as fog, shrouding everything else. Even the scent of the excited crowd couldn't push it away.

"You're to go in here with the other champions," said Professor McGonagall, in a rather shaky sort of voice, "and wait for your turn, Potter. Mr. Bagman is in there… he'll be telling you the - the procedure… Good luck."

"Thanks," said Harry, in a flat, distant voice. She left him at the entrance of the tent. Harry rubbed his eyes, tired because of the lack of sleep in these last few days, and went inside.

As he entered he found himself under the gaze of all champions. Cedric gave him a small smile; Krum nodded his head in recognition, only Fleur eyed him as an annoying fly. Harry returned the nod and smile, feeling his face muscles working rather hard, as though they were being used seconds after the change.

For one, Ludo Bagman seemed to be the happiest one to see him – Harry was greeted warmly, and the wizard looked ecstatic to see him participating, even when the task was yet to start. The champions had to draw a dragon from a bag and Harry's heart fell after having drawn the Hungarian Horntail – the most dangerous of the lot. After a quick introduction about the task, Bagman ushered Harry outside for a few words.

Harry felt his wolf distrusting the man, and only barely managed to listen to his proposal to help. Ludo flinched under Harry's long, distrustful stare and gave up. He just patted Potter on the shoulder and wished him luck. It was pure luck that Harry managed to hold himself from growling at the wizard – his wolf despised the unexplainable familiarity from someone not in the pack.

His trembling legs brought him back inside. The wolf felt stronger than usual, and trying to fight him with all the looming danger was exhausting. Having slept for only three hours in the last two days was also a reason for his weakness in the inner struggle.

Cedric walked past him, but Harry was too occupied with the wolf to even wish him luck. The screams and yells of the crowd were also pushed aside. His wolf renewed its efforts with each step the Swedish Short-Snout took against Diggory. It was a maddening experience to leave the pictures for the imagination, only hearing and smelling the course of the struggle...

Then, Fleur, and after her, Krum started their tries.

Harry was sitting, his right hand clutching his left, with nails bruising the skin, when the applause for Krum started. He jumped up, squeezing the hand so much, that he felt the nails pierce the skin. The barely visible drops of blood surfaced and the smell of his own blood woke him up. He straightened himself, whipped the sweat from his face and, when he heard a whistle blow, he walked out of the tent the panic rising into a crescendo inside him. And now he was walking past the trees, through a gap in the enclosure fence.

He saw everything in front of him as though it was a whirlwind of a black and white dream.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Yellow eyes met green, and everything else disappeared from the view. There was only him and his enemy. Harry was clutching his wand with such force he even feared it might break to shards in his hand. The smells were overwhelming, but his wolf growled and seemingly helped him focus.

Harry was too tired to fight the wolf, so he gave in, and let out a low and silent growl. Surprisingly, the dragon heard him. The Horntail was crouched low over her clutch of eggs, a monstrous, scaly black lizard, thrashing her spiked tail. She let out a burst of flames towards him. It was a bit too far to get burned, but he felt the heat matching the anger inside of him.

He raised his wand.

"_**Accio**_ Firebolt!" he shouted.

Then, he slowly started circling the beast. Like a wolf stalking his prey. She froze in place, only eyes following his movement.

The broom wasn't coming.

Harry took another step to the side.

The broom wasn't coming.

Another step.

Without warning, she shifted to face him straight again and smoke started rising from her nostrils. Harry didn't even flinch. He prepared for the leap, the spell Remus had taught him on the lips...

Then, he smelled it, he smelled it behind everything - the stink of flame, the strangest smells of the crowd, and the slightly sour scent of the golden egg, a hint of the lake - his Firebolt was racing towards him. As it got near, he jumped and grabbed the broom, mounting it in the air. He zoomed up, relief washing over him.

The dragon was eyeing him like a man looks at an annoying fly. His wolf growled, insulted and full of anger. Harry dove towards her, rolling out of the way of the flame, diving under the swinging tail, and flying past her side.

Her head was tracing him in the air, spraying fire everywhere. The dragon fire burned the air, and soon Harry found himself breathing heavily. But he didn't care all he knew - he needed one mistake. One mistake of the beast and he would soar down and grab the glittering egg, the one with slightly golden hue. However, it was him, who made the first mistake - he misjudged the distance of the tail and saw it soaring towards him. Somehow he managed to twist and turn and was only glanced by it. Still, the force of impact threw him on the ground, the broom clattering near him. A loud gasp escaped him, as the impact blew the air out of his lungs. His whole body was bruised and there was an annoying pain in his right leg. His left arm was bleeding - he probably was hit by a tail spike.

He started laughing - it was just a sting, compared to what he had to endure each month. Slowly rising to his feet, he took a broom in his hands and saw that the dragon was almost upon him - she had moved away from the nest, just a step or two, but she was away from the egg. It was his chance. A quick incantation and a well aimed spell made Horntail roar with anger - blinded, she started spraying fire towards the place Harry was standing. But he wasn't there - Harry was in the air again, soaring high above her. The moment he saw the eye of the flaming storm, he dove towards the golden egg and snatched it in his hand. The flames tried to lick him, but he was just too fast.

The dragon still pouncing around and the handlers already rushing to restrain him, Harry rose high above the crowd and raised the egg in the air with his injured hand. Only then did he hear the crowd cheering and applauding. He almost dropped the egg out of surprise - the crowd was as loud as the Irish supporters at the World Cup. He couldn't understand how he didn't hear anything while facing the dragon. Harry's barking laughter echoed throughout the stadium, and he wasn't trying to stop.

"Look at that!" Bagman was yelling. "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!"

Harry saw Professor McGonagall, Professor Moody, and Hagrid hurrying to meet him, all of them waving him toward them, their smiles evident even from this distance. He was still laughing when he landed in front of McGonagal, his clothes covered in dirt and blood, his eyes tired from the lack of sleep, his hand bleeding, but still holding the egg high above.

"That was excellent, Potter!" cried Professor McGonagall as he got off the Firebolt - which from her was extravagant praise. He noticed that her hand shook as she pointed at his wound. "You'll need to see Madam Pomfrey before the judges give out your score… Over there, she's had to mop up Diggory already…"

His laughter died as his legs almost gave away, and only Hagrid being nearby and catching him stopped him from falling on the ground. Harry slowly straightened himself, his legs still protesting the weight they were normally used to carry on daily basis. The right one pained to be standing on.

"Potter?" McGonagall was slightly pale.

"I'm fine." Harry muttered, feeling exactly opposite – it was too noisy, too many scents were assaulting him, and he was losing too much blood. And that's even without counting how tired he felt.

"Right then, Potter, the first aid tent, please…" She rushed him, without giving time for Hagrid or Moody tell him anything – there were the smiles that said enough, though.

Harry was led out of the enclosure, slightly limping, and saw Madam Pomfrey standing at the mouth of a second tent, looking worried.

"Dragons!" she said, in a disgusted tone, pulling Harry inside.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Harry, you were brilliant!" Hermione had darted into the tent, followed by Ron and Ginny.

"You were amazing!" said Ginny, "how is your arm?"

Harry only raised his left hand for them to see that it was already healed. He didn't speak; he was just looking at Ron intently. His wolf, for some reason had retreated back, and he could only feel the shade of it. But he knew what the wolf thought – he had no place in the pack for the betrayer.

"Harry," Ron said, very seriously, "whoever put your name in that goblet - I – I reckon they're trying to do you in!"

Harry just laughed with a fake, barking laughter. "Caught on, have you?" You couldn't even see the hint of laughter in his face; the worlds were cold, said with a silent growl. "Took you long enough."

Hermione glanced at Ron, and then at Harry. She opened her mouth, but was hushed by Ginny.

Harry was staring Ron in the eyes.

Ron gulped and shifted his legs uncomfortably. "I'm sorry..." It sounded sincere. "I was..."

"It's okay," he said, before Ron could finish. "Forget it."

"No," said Ron, "I shouldn't've -"

"Forget it, "Harry said.

Ron grinned nervously at him, but Harry didn't grin back.

"Ron, I really, and I mean _really_ miss having you as my friend, but I can't accept you back that soon." Harry's voice was hollow. "I want you to be by my side, and for you to joke with me, to talk with me... I hope to call you friend soon enough..."

Ron nodded.

Harry extended his hand. "Harry Potter."

"Ron Weasley".

They shook hands. This time Ron's weak smile was matched by Harry's own.

Hermione burst into tears. Ginny hugged her from behind.

"There's nothing to cry about!" Harry told both of them, bewildered.

"You two are so stupid!" she shouted, stamping her foot on the ground, tears splashing down her front. Then, before either of them could stop her, she had escaped Ginny's grasp and had given both of them a hug and dashed away, now positively howling. Ginny just smiled at Harry and ran after Hermione.

"Barking mad," said Ron, shaking his head. "Harry, c'mon, they'll be putting up your scores…"

Picking up the golden egg and his Firebolt, feeling better than he would have believed possible an hour ago, Harry ducked out of the tent, Ron by his side, talking fast.

"You were the best, you know, no competition. Cedric did this weird thing where he Transfigured a rock..."

Harry listened, nodding at the right places, but smiled when he heard that he had used the same spell Krum did. Although, according to Ron, his dragon didn't destroy any of the eggs, so Harry's score should be bigger.

In the end, he was a point behind Krum.

"They probably took away some points for your arm."

"And the leg." Harry allowed. Seeing the confused glace Ron gave him, he explained. "Pomfrey said the bone was fractured. She set it right."

Ron opened his mouth, then closed it, and finally opened it again, and only then did the words appear. "But... How did you manage to walk to the tent with a broken leg?"

Harry scratched his head. "I don't know, it was probably the rush from the task..."

Ron was silent after that, so Harry started listening to the cheers – he was at the second place, and almost on equal footing with Krum, and Gryffindors were ecstatic. The best thing was that it wasn't just Gryffindors that cheered for him, and he could see one bright Ravenclaw face, with two glittering tears on her cheek. Cho's hair was tied up in the back, and she was looking into his eyes. She waved at him. Harry raised the egg into the air again, and waved back with it, his own gaze never leaving her tears. She wiped them with her hand and beamed at him.

The first task was finally over.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

It was a celebration in the Gryffindor common room, when someone had the idea they all came to regret:

"Blimey, this is heavy," said Lee Jordan, picking up the golden egg, which Harry had left on a table, and weighing it in his hands. "Open it, Harry, go on! Let's just see what's inside it!"

After a few seconds of hesitation, a screech filled the room.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Everything was in shades of grey and swirling around – Harry couldn't see anything clearly. Surprisingly, everything was completely silent, so the only thing he could do, was smell. Judging by the smells, not long had passed and he was still in the Gryffindor common room, but there was a strong imprint of the lake and fish – so much, that he felt almost as bad as he was after drinking Wolfsbane potion. Most of the Gryffindors were standing around him, including Ron, Neville, Ginny and Hermione.

Finally the world faded back into the view and Harry saw the concerned faces of the Gryffindors. Hermione was saying something, but it was too silent to hear. Ron leaned closer to look at him.

"What?" He managed.

Something was said.

Harry rubbed his ears. "Say that again."

"...you hear me?"

"Almost." He got up, head spinning. "It's a bit too much of excitement for one day..."

"... to Pomfrey..." Hermione's voice reached him.

"No, I'm just dizzy. I think it's mostly the heat from the task getting to my head."

Ron helped him up the stairs as the sounds returned to him again. Just before leaving, Harry showed thumbs up to the gathered Gryffindors, raising a few smiles in the room and earning another round of applause.

"What did you hear?" Harry asked Ron as soon as he was on the bed. "What happened to me?"

"The egg screamed, it was very loud and annoying... my ears still hurt a little. Then, your expression changed to the one of pain and you collapsed clutching your ears. We were too shocked to do something, but Ginny jumped and closed the egg... And then your eyes – they were more grey than green for a second. But I probably imagined that..."

"And the smell, was it strong? Did you feel anything at all?"

"What smell?" Ron looked confused.

"Lake and grass, fish and water..."

Ron shrugged. "I guess not. I couldn't smell anything... Why do you ask?"

"It's just... I thought the sound was a distraction and the clue was in the scent – it seemed too powerful and not mean anything. But you didn't feel anything, so it's probably not it..."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry was rolling in his bead, as he heard a flutter of wings outside. The window was slightly open to let in a bit of the air – it was enough to get a clear scent of the forest and the bird flying. She was approaching the tower, and Harry was up just as there was a silent tap on the glass.

"Hedwig," he whispered, fully opening the window, "do you have something for me?"

A small envelope was dropped in his extended hand.

Cinnamon.

He patted Hedwig on the head and watched her leave into the night. Ron mumbled in his sleep. Everybody else were well asleep – it was just after party and most were very tired. Harry, perhaps, most of them all, but still it was hard to convince himself he could sleep safely.

He almost tore the envelope open, but then saw even, but slightly rushed handwriting on the envelope.

_Your owl seems very smart. At least, I hope it is your owl. She didn't let me give the letter to any other._

Harry climbed back into his bead and closed the curtains, leaving only a small gap – it was dark, but not a total darkness – that was enough for him. He slowly and carefully opened the envelope, as if scared of what he could see inside.

There was a small sheet of thin, white paper, smelling of cinnamon, wind and sea. The handwriting was slightly shaky, but otherwise beautiful. The letter was marked with a spot of ink and one or two spots of tears.

_Harry,_

_I have tried to write this letter a few times, but never was satisfied with it. But after the first task, I understood that I cannot delay it any longer. I was scared, watching you face a dragon. A dragon – I almost died out of fear. And you were your usual Gryffindor, rushing into danger. When you fell, my heart stopped. Please don't let me feel something like this again._

_I wanted to say that I'm sorry about my reaction to my mother's letter. It was sudden and I chose the wrong thing to do. Marietta has been hounding me about it for these few days. I decided to tell you after the task, but you were injured, and I saw you talking with your friends and didn't want to intrude. Now it's late and I probably won't see you until the morning at the earliest. I couldn't sleep, so I am writing this in hopes of sending it before the curfew starts._

_I miss your company. I think I don't really care what my mother thinks nor what that Skeeter writes. I'd like to meet you and talk some day. But for now, let me just repeat – I'm sorry and I was stupid for trying to break our friendship. I hope we can talk after breakfast tomorrow. I hope you don't hate me._

_Yours,_

_Cho_

It was quite some time until his heart started beating normally, and Harry, clutching the letter in his hand, with a smile on his face, fell asleep. A miniature Hungarian Horntail was watching him from the table.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

_He was running in a forest, and for the first time it wasn't silent in the slightest. There was someone running alongside him, their shadows dancing between the trees, his bare feet hurting with each jump. The heavy smoke and fire smell was slowing him down, his breath uneven and tired. The black wolf spared him a glanced and jumped over a bush. Harry just kept running, branches tearing at his chest. Behind them there was a wall of heat approaching, a flap of dragon wings. He stumbled and fell, the flames reaching his feet in a blink. _

Harry opened his eyes. It was almost time to get up. He inhaled deeply, noticing Neville walking to the showers, and the barely noticeable letter still in his arm – it was slightly crumpled, but still readable. He quickly skimmed through it again... _Yours_. A smile crept on his face again. _Cho_.

He stood up, and stretched his arms wide, his wolf waking up with him. Harry shook his head – the dream was unpleasant, but it might have been worse – perhaps he would manage to remain in the good mood for the most of the day.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

When he went down to breakfast, he was one of the first students to arrive.

Surprisingly, Malfoy was also there, and, as soon as Harry's gaze met his, he lowered his head and stopped the conversation he was having with Nott. Harry could see the ear, mangled and slightly deformed, but otherwise quite alright.

Guilt assailed him, but he pushed it aside and started eating, from time to time sparing a glance towards the entrance and Ravenclaw table.

Quite some time had passed, or, at least Potter thought it had, when someone tried to sneak up on him. Harry turned around with a glare, and found himself staring at a slightly frightened face of Ron.

"Blimey, Harry, why didn't you tell me you were already going for breakfast?"

"I forgot."

"And I was walking silently, trying not to wake you up..."

Harry smiled. "Didn't you notice that I get up earlier than you?"

"Yeah, after..." Ron eyes flickered in panic for a moment. He hid it by taking a quick bite of bread. "Since last term, you do get up early..."

Harry grinned. "You don't have to be that careful around me."

Hermione arrived and sat on his left, "How are you feeling after yesterday?"

"Good." He smiled. "I even slept well."

Ginny was approaching too, but he smelled Cho and turned to wave to her. She returned the wave, but as she was with classmates, she didn't come closer. Harry reddened, when he understood that her friends were stealing glances at him and pestering her about him.

As Cho matched his shade, he tried to listen to their conversation, but then he was pinched from behind.

There, staring at him, was one Ginny Weasley. "I said 'Good Morning' two times."

"Hello, Ginny."

She giggled. "So, is it still 'not like that'?" She walked off, without waiting his answer, towards her classmates.

Harry, still fighting the slight embarrassment, just turned back to face the table, and consequently, look past it at the Ravenclaws and one beautiful black haired girl in particular...

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry watched her telling her classmates to go on without her. Then, she turned towards him, armed with a slight smile and walked up to him.

"Cho," he smiled. "It's really good to see you again. I read your letter..."

A hint of tears appeared in her eyes and suddenly, she hugged him. The cinnamon, mixed with tea and salt flooded his senses once again. He reached out, slightly afraid, and wrapped his hands around her. They stood in silence for a few seconds. Harry could fell her heart beating, her warmth making him feel safe. He tightened his grip slightly, her breath tickling his neck.

His hand touched her smooth hair, and hers found the back of his neck. Then, almost at the same time, they released each other and stood there, eyes locked.

"I'm sorry." She began.

"Please, Cho, just forget it..."

"But it was the first difficult thing for me, and I just ran away..."

"Cho." He wiped away her tear, his touch making her shiver. "You came back."

She was smiling. "Thank you."

"I missed you too." He whispered.

She heard him – he could see the bright spark in her brown eyes.

"Perhaps later..." Harry said, "we could meet again?"

"Perhaps?" She winked at him. "Of course."

Harry barely held himself from starting to jump up and down.

Cho glanced at corridor, seeing that it was mostly empty. "I think I should run, I don't want to be late much..."

"Are you free on Friday evening?" His question froze her in her tracks.

"Yes, after defence with Moody in the afternoon..."

"I'll find you then..." Harry was grinning like a fool.

"I'm looking forward to it, Harry."

She hugged him again, for a second or two and left; her warmth and aroma still around him.

**I could so get used to that...**

"Later, Cho!" His shout was accompanied with a wave she gladly returned...

Only after she moved away he understood that she was already in his **pack**, even before her letter. The wolf's grin matched his own.

Ron just couldn't understand why he was smiling the whole day.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter has a few paragraphs directly from Rowling's Goblet of Fire. I didn't mark them as not to break the flow.<p> 


	12. The Stars

**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter goes to Durmstrang in Soviet Russia. Wait, was that wrong?

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XII

The Stars

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

There probably was a way for Friday to feel more dragged out, but Harry didn't know it. It was pure torture – both History of Magic and Potion felt like they took ages to end, and even Charms felt a tad bit too long... But Harry was waiting patiently, counting seconds and minutes until…

He still wasn't exactly sure what he had proposed when he offered to meet, but he hoped to have a better idea when he was in front of her.

When only minutes remained, he had an idea in his head. It was a place both Sirius and the twins mentioned…

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He found her exiting the classroom and came closer, feeling the stares of some of her classmates. He didn't mind that, as there was always someone who was staring, and moved to walk next to her. He greeted both Cho and Marietta, who sighed silently and darted to speak with some other Ravenclaws.

"So… Harry?" Cho began. "What are we going to do after dinner?"

"Well… I thought we could go to the kitchens instead of it, and maybe take something to eat outside. I mean, the weather is getting colder, but it's not snowing yet…"

She mused it for a few seconds. "I haven't ever been to the kitchens… Are you sure they would let us take something? And I would have to go to the common room to change…"

Harry shrugged. "Is that a no, then?"

Cho smiled at him. "Do you want me to say no?"

"Well, I was hoping you would say yes… I haven't been to the Hogwarts kitchens myself, but I heard that the elves are really helpful…"

"Alright. I'll go. But, you'll have to wait for me a little. Where is this entrance to the kitchens?"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry was waiting patiently in a broad stone corridor, brightly lit with torches, and decorated with cheerful paintings that were mainly of food. He was clutching a warm Gryffindor scarf, and there was the invisibility cloak hidden in the pocket of the robes.

He smiled when he saw Cho carrying a warm dark blue jacket in her hands – it wasn't that cold outside. It wasn't even December yet. For a few days, at least.

He waved at her and turned to tickle the pear in the bowl, as he was told to do by Sirius. It began to squirm, chuckling, and suddenly turned into a large green door handle. Harry seized it and pulled the door open.

"After you." He bowed his head slightly, letting Cho in first.

He had one brief glimpse of an enormous, high-ceilinged room, large as the Great Hall above it, with mounds of glittering brass pots and pans heaped around the stone walls, and a great brick fireplace at the other end, when something small hurtled toward him from the middle of the room, squealing, "Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter!"

Next second all the wind had been knocked out of him as the squealing elf hit him hard in the midriff, hugging him so tightly he thought his ribs would break.

"D-Dobby?" Harry gasped.

Cho started laughing at the strange scene.

"It is Dobby, sir, it is!" squealed the voice from somewhere around his navel. "Dobby has been hoping and hoping to see Harry Potter, sir, and Harry Potter has come to see him, sir!"

Dobby looked really strange with all the clothes he was wearing now, and Harry couldn't help but smile at the little elf, sparing an apologetic glance at Chang. She was laughing even more, and didn't seem to mind that some elf had just turned up to hug Potter.

"Dobby, what're you doing here?" Harry said in amazement.

"Dobby has come to work at Hogwarts, sir!" Dobby squealed excitedly. "Professor Dumbledore gave Dobby and Winky jobs, sir!"

"Winky?" asked Harry, not exactly sure if he had heard the name before.

"Yes, sir, yes!" said Dobby, and he seized Harry's hand and pulled him off into the kitchen between the four long wooden tables that stood there. Each of these tables, Harry noticed as he passed them, was positioned exactly beneath the four House tables above, in the Great Hall. At the moment, they had only a few dishes, dinner being underway, but he supposed that when a plate was emptied above, the full one took its place. At least fifty elves were rushing in a kitchen, minding that they didn't get into the way of the visitors.

Dobby stopped in front of the brick fireplace and pointed.

"Winky, sir!" he said.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "You were at the Quidditch World Cup!"

Winky's lip quivered. Then she burst into tears, which spilled out of her great brown eyes and splashed down her front.

Harry looked uncomfortable and tried to apologise, which only caused the elf to cry even harder. Dobby, on the other hand, beamed up at Harry.

"Would Harry Potter or Harry Potter's friend like a cup of tea?" he squeaked loudly, over Winky's sobs.

Cho blinked in surprise and nodded without thinking, making six house-elves came trotting up behind them, bearing a large silver tray laden with a teapot, two cups, a milk jug, and a large plate of biscuits.

Harry thanked the elves, who beamed at him and bowed, and turned back to Dobby. "How long have you been here, Dobby?"

"Only for a day, Harry Potter, sir!" said Dobby happily. He followed with a tale of troubles finding a job he was trying to get paid for, and how the great Albus Dumbledore understood and helped him, offering a job. And apparently, great riches – a Galleon per week and one day off each month. The tale caused the other elves to distance themselves from the apparently different one. Dobby didn't mind and continued to tell about how he found Winky and brought her to work here too.

Only after the tale ended, and they had drunk their tea, did Harry manage to tell Dobby why he was visiting. "...we were thinking maybe you could help us pack something to eat outside..."

Both Dobby and the other elves perked up at that and both Harry and Cho found themselves with a basket full of food. Harry had to cast a Featherweight Charm to even be able to carry it. Dobby even brought a few blankets for them.

"Thanks a lot!" Harry said to the elves, who had all clustered around the door to wish them a good meal. "See you, Dobby!"

"Harry Potter… can Dobby come and see you sometimes, sir?" Dobby asked tentatively.

"'Course you can," said Harry, and Dobby beamed.

"That was... Interesting." Cho struggled for words, after they were outside. "Dobby is a really unusual elf."

"He is." Harry smiled. "It's good that he got what he wished for... he's one of my few friends..."

Cho looked at him incredulously.

"His old family was really bad for him, and I'm happy for him. I just hope he won't try to save me again."

"Now you _have_ to tell me about it."

A tale of Dobby and his tries to help kept them talking all the way up to the lake.

"I still can't believe that the rumour about you flying to Hogwarts in a car was true. I thought it was just some crazy nonsense..."

"And we really did crash into the Whomping Willow. Ron was never the best driver out there."

Her laughter was pure and warm, and they both were lost in it. They spread out the blanket in a secluded spot, facing the lake, placing the basket in front of them, laughing. It was chilly and the wind was playing in Cho's black hair.

When they started looking what the elves had made them, it appeared that they had a half of the feast packed up and warm.

"Did Dobby think we are a quidditch team?" She raised an eyebrow, barely holding a giggle back.

"Maybe..." Harry allowed. "Next time we'll have to try and be more specific."

Cho's eyes shone upon Harry mentioning the next time, and she hugged him lightly. Harry returned the gesture with ease.

"Well, as Ron has put it many times before – let's tuck in." He was beaming at her. "I wouldn't like to disappoint Dobby."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

They were sitting calmly, side by side, covered in one of the blankets Dobby gave them, watching the lake steaming. The wind was blowing colder, but the warmth of each other and soft woollen blanket kept it at bay. It was silent, only the ripples in the Black Lake splashing into the shore. It was already dark and the stars were starting to show up.

Harry had opened his mouth to say something, but then decided against it. He felt too good to even think of moving or changing the mood. Cho was deep in thought, her eyes tracing the sky, counting the stars, her hand lightly touching Harry's.

It was warm.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Do you often look at stars?"

"Sometimes." She nodded and snuggled closer. "What about you?"

"I never... Only during the Astronomy lessons... I never knew..."

"It is stunning. All those stars..."

"I know." Some part of him wanted to stand up and howl at them. The stars shone right into his heart, right into the eyes of the wolf. The thousands of little lights made him dizzy trying to see them all. He knew that before, the sky never looked so mysterious, so... "powerful..."

"Powerful?" Cho shifted to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"It feels majestic, surreal... Each and every one of them is so far, yet we feel them here, their light is reaching us. We could never even dream of reaching them, but they are. If that isn't the proof of their inner power, I do not know what is..."

They fell silent again. For quite a while...

"Would you like to watch them sometime, again? I'm going to miss the feeling."

Cho wrapped her hands around him, and whispered into his ear. "Yes."

Harry shuddered and shifted to look her in the eyes. She was really close; her breath was stroking his cheek. Cho closed her eyes and...

He couldn't, so he just leaned forward, hugging her strongly; her cheek touching his. Her heart was beating fast, and his was almost matching it. His thoughts were racing and he was berating himself. Why did he stop himself? She almost kissed him. Why did he... He could almost hear her thinking the same.

"I really like you, Cho." He whispered into her ear so silently, he barely heard himself.

Harry held her for a while, held her like the world depended on it. She was leaning on him, letting herself loosen up more and more.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

When they released each other, both were wearing a hint of blush. She probably couldn't see his as it was too dark, but Harry could see hers clearly. Her eyes were glittering, her breath was uneven and he could hear the beats of her heart from a distance. Harry himself was probably the same, but he didn't care.

"Do you know what time is it?" Cho was whispering, as if afraid to tear the silence apart. "Won't we be caught after curfew?"

Harry took out the silvery cloak and gave it for Cho to hold. She gasped at the realization what was before her.

"Harry, those are really rare..."

"It was my father's."

That made her eye it even with more admiration.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

They were in front of the Ravenclaw common room, hidden beneath the cloak. Cho had been smiling all the way, delighted with an unparalleled experience. They had sneaked past Flitch without him even noticing, and passed a perfect on patrol with similar results.

They hugged to say goodbye, but just after releasing him, Cho leaned forward and pecked him on his cheek. Harry froze, but she just waved at him and disappeared behind the door.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He wanted to bring the basket to Dobby, and went to the kitchens, but saw some movement that drew his eyes. Moody was walking down the corridor, his eye spinning in the socket. Then, it settled on him.

"Potter?" He growled with his harsh voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Walking... Sir." As Moody didn't look fully content with the explanation, Harry added. "I'm bringing the basket back to the house elves."

"Why don't you just call one to take it?"

"I can do that?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "How can one do that?"

"It shows that you weren't brought up in the wizarding world. Simply call it. Do you know its name?"

"Yes, but... Sir, how did you notice me at all?"

Moody smiled and pointed at his spinning eye with his finger. "Your cloak is a bloody useful thing, if you ask me."

Harry nodded, impressed.

Professor just grinned a creepy grin and waved for him to pass, moving on with his own things.

"Professor," Harry shouted after him, "thank you. I forgot to thank you after the task."

Moody didn't stop but Harry could hear him grumble something of an approval.

When professor was out of the way, Harry tried to call Dobby.

"Dobby?" He whispered feeling like a fool. "Dobby?"

There was a loud pop.

"Harry Potter sir is wanting for Dobby?"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Where were you last Friday, Harry?" Hermione asked while pouring herself some juice.

"Well..." His eyes betrayed him, darting towards the Ravenclaw table.

Ginny laughed. "Don't worry; it's good that you disappear sometimes."

"Why?" Ron asked with his mouth full of food, but somehow it came out understandable.

"Simple." Ginny was cheerful. "When you disappear without explanation for a few times a month, no one will care if some of those are accidentally on the full moon."

Hermione looked gobsmacked "Are you telling him to disregard curfew more?"

"Yes." Ginny pinched her side. "What if I am?"

Hermione just huffed and turned to her meal.

Ginny leaned towards Harry. "So... How was it?"

"Ginny," he hissed, "I'm not going to talk about it."

"Did you kiss her?"

Harry almost choked on his juice. Ron dropped his fork.

"Did you?" this time it was Ron.

Hermione was ignoring all of them. Harry thought that maybe, she had the right idea.

"Come on, you can tell us..."

Harry covered his face and groaned.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

It was another of his detentions with Snape. This time, he was set to a task of scrubbing old, stinking cauldrons. The smell was horrible, the scrubbing was so hard that his hands started hurting after a few minutes, and Snape was there, reading and grading some essays, his gaze sometimes rising up to Harry and seemingly trying to burn him through.

After a few hours, angry, annoyed and tired Harry removed his hands from the last cauldron, and dropped the brush on the stool nearby.

"I'm finished, professor." He managed.

Snape rose from his seat and inspected each and every one of the cauldrons. It was hard to find fault, as Harry's keen sense of smell told him when the cauldron was not yet clean.

"Potter." Snape was looming over him, sneering. "There are not many detentions left this term. Do you think you have learned the lesson? Or should we extend it further along?"

Harry was silent.

"What is it; don't you have your own opinion on the matter?"

Harry stayed silent.

"You don't?"

The wolf stirred inside as their gazes met again. Snape narrowed his eyes, and Harry felt the wolf rise in defence, snarling and lashing out. Snape even recoiled back, probably feeling the anger radiating from Harry's wolf.

"Potter. Leave. Now."

He complied.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The start of December had brought wind and sleet to Hogwarts – with such a weather, it was quite impossible to schedule a stargazing session, so Harry and Cho had to content themselves with a meeting or two in the hallways.

The rumours about them seeing each other were surprisingly weak, as if no one was sure whether it was really happening. Harry himself was struggling to find words to express their relationship. Were they dating? It didn't seem as such, as not one of them had used any terms to establish the fact. Nor had they kissed – although they both were teased by their respective friends, they were still claiming friendship or ignoring them entirely. They both entertained the notion of introducing Ginny to Marietta, but on the other hand, they feared that it might work just a little too well for those two...

After discussing their annoying friends, the conversation shifted to the slightly uncomfortable topic – Harry had seen Rita Skeeter attend Hagrid's lesson, and he already feared what she could write about his first friend in the wizarding world. He said as much to Cho, and they both were reminded of her mother's reaction to the article.

"Do you think she will write something about us, again?" Cho's voice was weak and slightly scared.

"I hope not... You know, I feel bad thinking about it, but some part of me wishes she would rather write about Hagrid than me..."

"Don't worry, there probably isn't much she could write. I'm sure Hagrid is a good man..."

Harry nodded. "The best. He has a heart of gold. But I fear that the Blast-Ended Skrewts might prove bad for him..."

"Well – the worst that could happen – you will be forbidden to take care of them... And I cannot imagine it being bad, given how much everyone is complaining about them. Makes me glad I didn't choose the subject."

"Maybe," he agreed. "I guess I'm just worrying too much."

"Probably." She touched his arm. "It'll all work out in the end, you'll see... You know, maybe you should introduce me to Hagrid someday... I mean I know of him, and I have heard some things from you, just I don't think I have ever talked with him."

"I'm sure you will like him."

"How did you say you met him?"

Cho noticed a shadow creeping in the depth of Harry's eyes.

"Harry?"

"He's just the first person in the wizarding world that I met and..." he turned around and sniffed the air. "It's strange, I feel like we are being watched..."

Cho looked around as well, shrugging. "You probably just imagined it..."

Harry took in the Skeeter's scent again and shook his head. "No, someone definitely is watching." It appeared that Rita had heard him wherever she was, and her smell slowly disappeared. Harry looked around the corner and saw nothing to prove her being there before. Except the reek. "Or maybe I just imagined it..."

Cho rolled her eyes. "Do you really think that someone is spying on you?"

"It might happen." Harry laughed seeing her expression. "You don't believe me?"

"Well, it's perhaps just a stray fan of Harry Potter, trying to catch a photo... Creevey, was it?"

Harry grunted something.

"I'm sorry." She smiled, and said with a voice dripping with sarcasm, "you like to pretend that no one likes you."

"I do not."

"You do."

"Do not."

"Do."

He raised his arms in mock surrender. "There is no arguing with you."

"It's good that you understand."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

McGonagall's irritated voice cracked like a whip through the Transfiguration class on Thursday, and Harry and Ron both jumped.

The bell was due to ring at any moment, and Harry and Ron, who had been having a sword fight with a couple of Fred and George's fake wands at the back of the class, looked up, Ron holding a tin parrot and Harry, a rubber haddock.

"Now that Potter and Weasley have been kind enough to act their age," said Professor McGonagall, with an angry look at the pair of them as the head of Harry's haddock drooped and fell silently to the floor - Ron's parrot's beak had severed it moments before - "I have something to say to you all."

When she announced the ball, Harry was both stunned and afraid – his thoughts were running around like a caged animal. Should he ask Cho? He probably should. Would she want to go with him? It was an important question. Whatever it was they had, was mostly secret – they didn't hide anything, but they never spend time in front of other people. Would she be willing to go with him, the one who bit Malfoy's ear off...?

Professor McGonagall called above the noise, "Potter – a word, if you please."

Assuming this had something to do with his headless rubber haddock, Harry proceeded gloomily to the teacher's desk. Professor McGonagall waited until the rest of the class had gone, and then said, "Potter, traditionally, the champions and their partners open the ball..."

"What?" said Harry, "But I don't dance..."

"It is traditional," said Professor McGonagall firmly. "You are a Hogwarts champion, and you will do what is expected of you as a representative of the school. So make sure you get yourself a dancing partner, Potter."

Harry swore silently and gave up. **Hello, Cho, would you like to teach me to dance? Don't worry; it's just in front of everyone... **Thinking how to ask her and not make a fool of himself, as he already feared the moment he had to try and dance, he walked out of the classroom, head hanging low. Who could he ask for help? Sirius, perhaps?

Ron tried to cheer him up, telling that there was probably going to be a queue of girls, wanting to dance with him. But Harry didn't care about that; he just wished that he didn't look like a fool in front of Cho. And she might even say no to him.

"I'm sorry, Ron, I'm not in the mood," he said, "and I have a letter to write."

"A letter?"

"To Sirius."

"Is it soon?" Ron asked without thinking.

Harry shuddered, fearing the nearing moon. "Well, it's on the last day of the term..."

"Why write a letter now?"

"It's personal." Harry waved his friend off. Their relationship was slightly strained, but all in all, he was slowly accepting Ron again. "I'll tell you later."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"So... Have you asked Cho yet?"

Harry looked up to see Ginny looking at him, with a strange glint in her eyes. "No."

"Why not?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "What is it to you?"

"It's your fault that I care." Ginny showed him her tongue. "Why not? Are you afraid she'll decline?"

"Yes," he whispered, "a little."

"Don't be. You are the Harry Potter. And she has this _look_ when she looks at you."

Harry was silent – he was trying to write a letter that was maybe as difficult as the question he wanted to ask Cho. Still, something was off with Ginny. He just couldn't say what. The scent seemed normal, perhaps slightly salty, but...

"Harry? Are you alright? It can't be that hard to ask a girl out?"

He smiled weakly at her.

"Is there something you are not telling me?"

"I can't dance."

Ginny laughed, making people in the common room stare at them.

"Ginny!" Harry growled.

"Sorry." She didn't stop sniggering, though. "It's just... I thought you would be more worried about your other –" Her laugher died. "– little problem."

Harry just blinked a few times.

"Look, Harry, I don't think you are looking at this from the right angle. Do you want to go with Cho?"

He nodded.

"So, go and ask her."

"Now?"

"Alright, write your letter, send it, and then go ask her."

He hesitated.

"Come on, Harry. Where is your inner Triwizard champion?"

He started glaring at her.

She pinched him.

"Ginny!"

"Oh, shut up, Harry." She started heading towards the Girls' Dormitories, but stopped half-way to shout at him once again. "You'd better hurry up; you don't want someone to ask her first."

Harry groaned as the girls in the common room exchanged glances and started giggling and gossiping about whether they had been talking about Cho or Hermione. It was one of the days Harry really hated his hearing.

Finally finished with his surprisingly short letter, given the amount of time spent on it, he got up, and went to the Owlery.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter has quite a few paragraphs taken from Rowling's Goblet of Fire. I didn't mark them as not to break the flow.<p> 


	13. The Others

**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter something Rowling.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XIII

The Others

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Cho was heading down the west tower stairs, as she suddenly came face to face with him. They both tumbled a few steps, trying to move out of each other's way.

He laughed and nodded to her as a greeting.

"Um, watch your step on the stairs," she said starting to climb down again. "It's a bit icy at the top."

"Okay," he muttered. "Thanks."

She had already climbed down a few steps, when he turned around and called her, "Cho?"

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering..." Owls at the top of the tower started screeching, muffling some of the words he said. "...ball with me?"

"Sorry?" said Cho, "I didn't catch that."

"Would you go to the ball with me?"

"Oh!" said Cho, her face going red. "I'm really sorry," and she truly looked it. "I've already said I'll go with someone else."

"Oh," he said, scratching his head, and then broke into a slight smile. "No problem."

"I'm really sorry," she said again.

"That's okay; you don't have to worry about it. Out of curiosity, who are you going with?"

"Oh – Harry," she said. "Harry Potter."

"Right..." Cedric started laughing. "So, the rumours were true."

Cho didn't know how to respond to that, so she just shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

"Good, I hope you two have a good time. Harry deserves someone as cute as you..." Cedric's smile looked more and more genuine with each second. "By the way, do you know if Marietta has a date yet?"

Cho giggled. "No, I think she doesn't. But when you'll ask her, don't mention that you asked me first, alright? At least, not before she accepts."

"Deal. Well, I have to run. Don't tell Marietta before I do."

"I won't. But you'd better hurry..."

"I know, I know, or someone else will."

"Bye, Cedric." She waved at him, resuming her descent, still not believing that she had been asked by two champions in a row. And the two best looking ones, too.

"See you at the ball."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Cho smiled at her friend, who was running towards her with a smile that threatened to rip the face apart. Marietta sat next to her in the common room and grabbed her into a hug.

Cho even yelped out of surprise. "You don't have to kill me."

"I've got a date with Cedric!" Marietta shouted into the ear.

"Do you _have_ to shout?"

Marietta released her grip. "Yes." Then, she pinched Cho.

"Hey? What was that for?"

"I'd hit you, but you did say no to him."

"I'm sorry he asked me first. I did tell him to ask you, though."

"Since you put it that way... I guess it's not your fault."

Cho laughed.

"Do you understand what happened? We both are going with the champions!"

This time, most of the common room started to pay attention to the conversation.

"Cho," someone asked, "why didn't you share the good news?"

Marietta answered it for her. "Because she was asked, like, only a few days ago? And it should have been a surprise."

"You would have just made a big deal out of this..." Cho said under the stares of the most of the Ravenclaws.

"But it is a big deal!" Padma shouted out. "Two champions chose Ravenclaws as a date."

"Three." Lisa was smiling. "Rodger asked Fleur Delacour."

"And she said yes?"

"Apparently."

Soon enough the whole Ravenclaw tower was celebrating their success. Three out of four champions was a rather impressive achievement.

After an hour you couldn't find anyone in the school who didn't know that.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Cho was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep, not after whole ordeal. The faint sound of Marietta shifting every few minutes proved that she wasn't the only one having problems sleeping.

"Cho? Are you sleeping?"

She opened her curtains slightly. "No."

"Can you believe it?" Marietta asked again, slightly lauder.

"Hardly."

"Would you..." Marietta fell silent.

"Would I have said yes to Cedric, had he asked first?"

"Yes, would you?"

"I don't know..."

"What do you mean? He is tall, handsome, strong, and a champion..."

"I know, just... Maybe I would have asked him to wait a day or two."

Marietta giggled. "Wait for who, Harry Potter?"

"Maybe."

"Are you this serious about him?"

"Maybe." Cho repeated and rolled on her back again. "But I didn't have to wait..."

"Didn't he ask you, like first thing in the morning, a couple of days back?"

"You were there, remember?"

"Well, true, but you did go to talk to him alone round the corner. So maybe he just wanted to say something else..."

"Like what?"

"I don't know..." Marietta grinned mischievously, even though Cho couldn't see her face. "_Marry me_?"

A pillow hit her right in the nose.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Sirius was sitting at the table of number 12 Grimmauld Place. The ancestral home of the Black family loomed above him like a shadow for disaster. His mood was foul, his food was tasteless and it was annoying to wait for the full moon to speak with his godson.

Then, a pop sounded, and Black found himself staring at Kreacher. He swore and recoiled back.

"Master, you have received a letter. A white owl."

Sirius grabbed the letter and tore it open in a few seconds. Kreacher was grumbling some nonsense, but Sirius didn't pay any heed to the demented elf.

**Padfoot,**

**There is a Yule Ball coming, and champions must open it with a dance.**

**I can't dance. What should I do?**

**Help,**

**Harry**

Sirius' barking laughter shook the old kitchen and made Kreacher shut up.

"Kreacher. Bring me a quill, a pot of ink and a piece of paper."

Now he had something to talk about with Remus before the next full moon.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Hedwig was flying back, a tiny note tied to her leg. It wasn't even in the envelope, so you could even read it without taking it off.

**Harry,**

**Learn how to.**

**Padfoot**

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Snape was patiently waiting in the Headmasters office, sitting on a chair, eyes closed. Finally, Fawkes thrilled a small tune, making him twitch, and the door to the office opened. Snape glared at the man entering.

"You wanted to see me?" Lupin stood in the doorway, looking as tired as usually.

"Where is Albus?" Snape's voice was metallic, detached.

"He said he had something to do. He's going to come after half an hour, I think."

Snape stood up and strolled towards the middle of the room and started staring into Lupin's eyes. It was a long, hard stare – a silent contest of wills. Snape looked like he was trying to burn Lupin through, and Remus was just matching the anger with his own.

Then, Remus jumped back, and started breathing heavily. "What are you doing?"

"Checking a theory."

Remus narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You do know that it was illegal?"

"Who are you going to tell, _werewolf_? And, even then, it's for your pampered _cub_."

"Harry?"

"Do you know any other?"

"You'd better explain yourself, _Snape_. I am not in a very patient mood today."

"You'll have to be, if you want my help."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"This plan is too dangerous." Remus was leaning against the headmasters desk, barring teeth and barely restraining his anger, but the old man didn't do as much as bat an eyelash in response.

However, Snape wasn't as kind. "And you, I suppose, have come with another heap of ideas? You know, maybe we should consider to stop giving Potter the potion. What damage could a werewolf without a potion do? Bite his friends?"

"No, but I still think he has the strength to overcome the wolf oh his own."

"That's just wishful thinking. We all know that Potter is as near to controlling the wolf as he is to getting a decent mark in potions."

Albus coughed lightly, gathering the attention back to him. "Remus, Severus, let's not have it now. The proposal is a valid one, but requires a careful study and skilful execution. I hope you will set aside your difference working on the matter. It is the welfare of our students at stake. Our actions are those trying to protect..."

"I'm still not sure," said Remus, "there are many things that could go wrong. I don't think it would work any better than the idea with the phoenix."

"Are you suggesting we give up?" Albus looked old and weary, sitting in his seat.

"No. Never." Remus clenched his fists. "We cannot fail Harry. I cannot disappoint him again... Very well, we'll try out Severus legilimency idea. But, I would suggest you trying to perform it, instead of him."

"Are you implying that I would be unable to meet...?"

"_Severus_." The potions master flinched when Albus interrupted him. "I think that Remus is right in this regard. Young Harry's distrust for you would only hinder your attempts. It will be me, who tries out the proposed method. But nevertheless, both of you are welcome to help me with the research and trials."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Did you see Harry?" Hermione whispered. "He's even more nervous than before."

"Everyone is talking about him and Cho. Wouldn't you be? I mean, if they knew you are going with Krum..."

"Shh!" Hermione quickly looked around to be sure that no one heard that. "Ginny!"

"No one heard me." She smiled and scratched something out of her essay. "And it's exactly my point... So, what's this about Harry?"

"I don't know if he told you yet, but he's afraid. Don't tell him I told you about that."

"If this is his nonsense about the little problem..."

"No," interrupted Hermione, "Harry can't dance."

Ginny giggled. "I know."

"It isn't funny for him."

"Well, perhaps Cho will teach him." There was a hit of bitterness in Ginny's voice.

It was just enough for Hermione to notice. "How are you holding up?"

"Good."

"Don't give me the lies, Ginny, I know you far better than that."

"What do you want to hear? I'm not talking about it. I feel fine. Neville asked me to the ball and I said yes. He will be a good date. I think, I might even have a good time - otherwise I wouldn't have been able to attend."

"But it's not what you wanted..."

"Not everyone get what they want. I'll live."

"Ginny..."

"Look, Hermione, if you want to talk about Harry, let's talk about Harry, leave _me_ out of all this."

"Well, I was going to say that Harry hasn't told Cho that he can't."

"Why?"

"I didn't ask, but I guess it's because he doesn't want to look like a fool with her."

"And?"

"Well, I told him that he was being stupid and should either learn quickly or tell her before the ball. But he said he doesn't want to ask her for help as it would beat the purpose somewhat..."

Ginny nodded.

"I think we should teach him."

Ginny almost dropped the quill. "Was it _his_ idea?"

"I'm only asking you, I haven't even told Harry about it."

"Why me? You could do it yourself..."

"I'm sure you know about dancing more than I do. And with the two of us, it would be easier to find time..."

"I don't know," said Ginny, scratching her nose with the end of the quill, "I think your idea might fail spectacularly. Do you really think Harry will agree?"

"We'll just have to ask."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Ron was nervous. He probably was the only one, beside Neville, who had no date to take to the ball. Even Harry had found himself a date, even one fitting for the champion. Ron was jealous of his friend, but had enough tact to keep silent. Of course, he wouldn't look very bad if he managed to fail finding the date at all, but he figured that he had to at least try more - he hadn't even tried asking anyone yet. However, deciding to give one's best and actually asking someone were two different things.

Thinking about Harry and Cho, mainly trying to remember what Harry had told him. _I don't know, I just asked her to speak with me and then invited her. Stumbled on the words, even, but she did say yes._ Harry made that sound so simple. Ron frowned. Most of the day had already passed, and early in the morning he had promised himself he would find a date even if it kills him. Of course, he wasn't mad enough to actually risk his life for a date, but Ron felt stronger with such a resolution.

Suddenly, he felt a strange allure. It was weak, but as his thoughts were elsewhere, he didn't even notice when he froze in place to look. Fleur was standing near Diggory, her pose one of superiority. Unsurprisingly, not many people were actually listening to what was being said and were just staring at Fleur, but Ron felt that he had to – maybe it would be helpful for Harry... Of course, that didn't stop him from letting his eyes roam freely. At the same time he tried to remember what was being said:

Diggory laughed, slightly blushing. "…Marietta… friends… Cho."

Fleur answered, "Arry… mentioned… dragons… you?"

To be fair, Ron wasn't listening very intently. Or at all. He just walked forward and stepped in front of Fleur. She looked at him curiously, but nevertheless arrogantly.

"Would you like to go to the ball with me?"

Fleur's gaze almost burned him. It was a look that made him feel like a slug under her feet. Ron let out a strange yelp, and realized what he has just done. Then, he darted away, probably putting many muggle sprinters to shame.

It took Ginny quite some time to calm him down, so he could even tell her what had happened.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Viktor Krum, the world famous seeker, was sitting in the library, a habit he started when he first saw the muggle-born girl there. He was holding a book in his hands, reading about the Black Lake. At least, he was trying to. It was really hard to concentrate, and not because there were hundreds of girls there, watching him and giggling silently - Viktor was used to the attention. It wasn't the lack of Hermione in the library – she was a welcoming sight, but his visit today was not to see her, not minding that it would have made him smile. It was because of the rumours circulating in the castle.

Not speaking English very well, hadn't meant that Krum had any trouble understanding what others were saying. And even between his giggling fans, there were some who didn't hesitate to speak about Potter. In truth, they almost never shut up about him. The most prominent rumour was one of the Ravenclaws seducing three of the champions, and after that, the talk usually shifted to Harry and Cho, and then it would turn into a debate only about Potter.

It seemed that his opponent was feared – no one could forget the incident with Draco Malfoy. Draco himself didn't hesitate to call Potter savage and other unimaginative names, but was visibly afraid of him. On the other hand, Harry had told Krum about the dragons. Even before Karkaroff could do the same.

Viktor wasn't against cheating. Cheating was, essentially, as much part of the game as experience and training. But he also understood a meaning of a fair play. Karkaroff wanted to cheat the way up to the top, but Harry's actions… What was fair in this competition? Harry even claimed that he didn't want to compete. Yet, he had reached similar conclusion in beating the dragon, and even improved it. Also, the first task spawned numerous speculations about Krum and Potter flying abilities.

Did the concept of the fair play demand him to return the favour? He had cracked the egg puzzle in two days, even without the offered assistance of Highmaster. Should he tell? Drop a clue?

Viktor hated the enigma that was around Harry Potter. Perhaps he could inquire his date… Hopefully she would shed some light on the matter.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Fleur Delacour, the Champion of Beauxbatons, felt guilty. Of course, as it wasn't a very usual feeling for her to feel and it made everything even worse. The little boy had performed better than she did in the First task, and hadn't lied when she thought he was. By the looks of things – he had told everyone about them. Had he really?

She tried to ask Diggory about it, but that hadn't worked as much as she was expecting it to. Everything was spoiled by some annoying red headed boy that got caught in her allure. She started with a simple question, getting Cedric's attention. _Well, I'm going with Marietta. You probably don't know her, but she's friends with Cho, who is going with Harry._ Cedric had gotten caught up in her enchantment, and she asked him whether or not the little Harry Potter had told him about the dragons. She was expecting for Diggory to resist, to lie, to evade the question, to ask her out, but what had happened was not one of those things - _Would you like to go to the ball with me_? Her focus was lost, and the Hufflepuff slipped her grasp.

After the red headed boy had disappeared, Diggory shook his head, excused himself and went to look for his Yule Ball date – apparently he had seen her a few moments ago.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Cedric Diggory, the Star Hufflepuff, was in a peculiar bind. The Tournament was proving a bit more dangerous than he was expecting. Of course that didn't mean he was giving up, but he felt like he was slightly behind the other champions. Or course, the fact that he was in the third place and not the last one, played to disapprove the notion, but a nagging fear of failure remained. As far as Hufflepuff pride went, he knew that he could work harder than others, and that would become his advantage against them.

His friends were encouraging him, and he was certain to try his best, but… The egg was proving a hard puzzle. It was apparent that it was one of those things, that looked extremely easy after solving them, but he had to come up with a way to do that. A numerous detection spells and library books hadn't helped to crack the secret out of it.

How was he supposed to return the favour back to Harry if he couldn't crack the egg first? Another puzzle – perhaps as hard as the egg itself.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Who am I going to take?"

"Calm down, Ron, you'll find someone." Hermione tried to reason with him.

"Come on, even Neville has a date. Neville."

Ginny hit him on the head with a nearest book.

"I mean, I'm going to look like a fool."

"You don't really have to try to do that." Ginny poked him in the side. "It's your constant state."

"It is," he whispered, lowering his head.

"We'll... Come on, Ron, there is still some time. We could find someone for you..."

"You could?" Ron smiled a radiant smile, but then it was gone. "Someone horrible?"

"Prat." Ginny sighed. "I was thinking of asking Luna. You remember her?"

"But she's..."

"She's what?" Ginny had her hand on the hips, and looked furious.

"I mean... Luna's alright. I'm just... Ok, it would be good... I mean, great."

"Good, we'll go see her later today, alright?"

"Thanks." Ron looked slightly relieved. "And it took only forever. Harry has found a date in a day. How can he be so lucky...?"

"Ron." Hermione looked at him sternly. "You can't be jealous of Harry again. You can't blame him for asking Cho early."

"Where _is_ Harry?" Ron looked around the common room.

"Do you know what day this is?"

"Well, the bloody end of the term, you think he is spending some _quality_ time with Cho?"

"You're impossible." Ginny poked him in the ribs. "Think again."

Ron gasped, and a shadow appeared over his eyes at the same time as he understood. "Yeah, it's probably not the best day for him."

"You don't say." Ginny's voice was dripping disappointment.

"Still, I haven't seen much of him outside the classes. Where was he spending his time these days?"

Ginny reddened slightly.

"Extracurricular activities," said Hermione, with a conspicuous smile, "you know..."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter's first scene was composed from both the movie and the book versions of Goblet of Fire. I didn't mark the quotes as not to break the flow.<p> 


	14. The Dance

**Disclaimer**: Rowling.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XIV

The Dance

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

It was yet another night of the moon. Harry had actually been slightly waiting for it – not only he would see both Remus and Sirius, he would get over the pain and it would be done until the next year. Of course, the want to get it over with didn't diminish the fear, which still loomed above him. He had spent the day trying to think as little as possible about it, focusing just on the days before. There were a few moments he treasured, and one of those was the day Ginny and Hermione came to his aid.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He crumpled the tiny note he received and stuffed it in his pocket. _Learn how to._ Oh, how he would let Padfoot have it...

"Bad news?" Hermione asked silently.

"No, just a useless reply..."

"You know, Harry, we were thinking..."

Ginny coughed, stopping Hermione mid sentence.

"**I** was thinking and **I** had an idea." She quickly corrected. "Maybe we could help you... You know, learn to dance a little."

"If you want to..." Ginny piped in, slightly unsure.

Harry ruffled his hair nervously, gulped and muttered a bravest thing he managed. "Great... When do we start?"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry did harbour the thought of learning to dance really well and impressing Cho, but, before the full moon, he only found time for three lessons. One was led by both Hermione and Ginny, the other was only Hermione and the last time it was only Ginny.

Hermione had found a small gramophone for them to use and both of the girls had taught him a few steps. It wasn't very hard, but Harry understood that not stepping on his partner's toes for a the few songs in the evening was the best achievement he could hope for, especially in such a short time.

The lessons with Hermione were mainly her explaining steps and how to get the hang of the rhythm to him, and it didn't help as much as he hoped it would. Ginny took a more reasonable approach and just tried to dance with him. It was an interesting experience for both of them, to say the least.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Ouch." She winced as he mistook a step and landed his foot on her toes.

"Sorry."

"I think that's enough for today."

"Sorry," he said again.

Ginny laughed. "You know, you are getting the hang of it."

He sat down, tired. "I don't know. I thought it would be easier."

"No, you are getting good." Ginny blushed. "Honest."

"Thank you."

Ginny looked away, her gaze unseeing. The smell of strawberries and salt was in the air.

"You said you were going with Neville, right?"

Ginny almost jumped. "What? When did I tell you?"

"I heard you talking to... the light haired Ravenclaw... Luna?"

Ginny nodded, still slightly surprised. "But you weren't..."

"I was eating a few seats away. There are many people that don't think that I can hear them. _Malfoy_ is a constant pain in the head." The name came out with a growl, and Harry had to focus to move the wolf out of the way. "So, did I hear right? You are going with Neville?"

"Yes..." said Ginny, furiously trying to remember if she had said something about Harry the last time she talked with Luna.

"I hope you will have fun."

"Me too..."

"Ginny? Is everything alright?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just tired..."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Both Moony and Padfoot were late or, maybe, Harry was too early. He was the first one to enter the empty classroom they were usually gathering in for each of the moons. There, he was greeted by the lingering smells of him, Remus, Sirius, Headmaster and Pomfrey, also there was a touch of Moody in the air, and the few marks left by Snape. These were the majority of the people knowing of his lycanthropy, all having been in the room at some point.

He felt the headmaster approaching together with his father's friends. This time, they were the ones carrying the potion to him. He felt content with the thought that Snape would be absent this time.

That didn't make the potion any less horrible – he almost spilled it out, as the taste was even worse – Snape was constantly making little changes in it.

When the world stopped swirling around – the potion packed quite a punch, the first thing Harry saw was Albus twinkling eyes.

"Harry," he began, slowly, and with the grandfatherly voice, "so far, most of the solutions offered were drastic failures, but would you permit an old man to offer you another possible attempt at finding the right path?"

Harry nodded, but only after glancing at Sirius and Remus, and seeing agreement in their eyes.

"This new solution isn't painful and is quite an ingenious way of thinking... Harry, do you know anything about Legilimency?"

"Nothing... Sir."

"It's an obscure branch of the mind arts. A master Legilimens can enter the mind of another and try to decipher lies and deceptions, or feel the emotions of others."

"They can read minds?"

Dumbledore chuckled and continued his explanation, "it's not a completely wrong characterisation, albeit there are few major distinctions. It is a misconception to think about the mind like it was book – thoughts are not etched in our minds, to be read by some invader. The mind, as well as the soul of any being is one of the most complex and many-layered workings of the world. Understanding one's mind is already a tedious task and trying to understand the minds of others well enough to even dream of reaching correct interpretations... One can see different and misleading visions that make the task even more difficult. Perhaps the easiest thing one can learn to do is to distinguish whether he is being lied to or not."

"I think I understand... But it still sounds a lot like mind-reading to me, professor. But what has it to do with my... affliction?"

"I would like to attempt Legilimency on you, Harry."

Harry spared another glance at Sirius before turning back to Albus. "And would it help us?"

"It might."

"Let's do it then. What do I do?"

"Simply try to remember what you feel during the change or just before it. Try to recall the proximity of your wolf. This might make him more angry, but I will stop if starts being dangerous."

Harry nodded.

Dumbledore waved his wand in an intricate pattern and Harry felt himself being enclosed with some net of powerful magic.

"Is...?"

Albus didn't let him finish, "It's just some restricting magic. For both yours and mine safety. Now, my boy, concentrate on the wolf."

The wolf was curious almost as much as Harry, but whereas Potter allowed himself some hope, the wolf was full of suspicion.

"Legilimens."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

_He was in the familiar forest. This time it felt different – usually he lost himself in the dream, feeling the gust of wind, bare feet touching the soft moss, fallen leaves and sharp twigs._

_What was it?_

_He felt the presence of Albus somewhere, outside, and then turned to face the wolf._

_It was growling._

_There was a moon rising slowly above the trees, its light pouring upon them._

_The black wolf was staring into his eyes, and past them._

The pain making him shiver, he was barring teeth at Albus, struggling against the magical bindings. To reach him, to tear him apart – he was being attacked, he had to fight, to rip and bite...

_The forest wind was slow, touching the feet, scratching at his face, swirling around the crouching wolf._

_The usual senses were returning as Harry found himself in the snarling match against his inner wolf. But there was something off – a hint of unfamiliar darkness in the forest air, a slithering beast hidden somewhere, between the dark trees. No – that wasn't it, it was a strange invisible cloud, barely noticeable that hung everywhere – one he was breathing in with each breath._

_The wolf crouched for the leap, its black fur stranding up._

Albus' gaze was strong, as if telling Harry to fight, to resist and establish his dominance.

_There was a sickening reek of Wolfsbane Potion in the air._

_As the wolf leaped in the air, Harry twisted to the side, letting it pass harmlessly. His shoulder brushed against the uneven harsh fur and he only blinked and the wolf was already standing straight, preparing for another attack._

_It jumped and he darted to the side again, rolling on the uneven ground., never taking the eyes off the beast. They started circling each other._

_It felt as if Albus had his hand on Harry's shoulder, lending support and courage._

He was shifting the form, horrible, yet already familiar pain biting into the flesh, but his eyes were still locked with the headmaster's gaze.

_He danced around the wolf for a few more seconds, until the third leap came. While the wolf was mid-air, Harry jumped forward, diving under its snarling jaws, pushing it on the ground. For a second, he allowed himself feel the victory, and at that moment fangs found his flesh again._

_Then, the wolf jumped over him, and lashed out at the unseen presence in the air._

Albus recoiled from the snarling beast – the magical bindings were barely holding. He hastily conjured a cage to hide in and collapsed there, breathing heavily.

Remus was starting to change too, and Sirius had been a dog since the Headmasters attempt at Legilimency.

Surprisingly, the black wolf didn't try to slam into the cage; he was just staring and snarling in anger, yet, with some unseen force holding it back. The magical bindings were shattered, but he still didn't move an inch.

Its green tinted eyes were darting throughout the room, taking the surroundings, and then, it noticed Padfoot.

Remus moved before his friend, covering him with his body.

The black wolf took a step back.

_The bites hurt, but the pain was lessening slightly, and Harry was still trying to push the wolf aside. It didn't work._

_The only thing he managed to convey was his fear of Sirius getting hurt again._

Two wolves approached each other and sniffed the air, paying Albus no heed. Then, the black one let out a silent growl, making Moony back up a little. Padfoot whimpered. It was just enough to establish the dominance in the pack again and leave Harry's wolf content of the victory.

The tension in the room lessened, but then, Dumbledore moved his arm to cast some kind of spell – at the first sign of the movement, the green-eyed wolf turned towards the cage. Even if it understood that there was no way of breaching the metal barrier, it still wanted to take revenge against the intruder into its mind.

Yet, Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore had hundreds of titles not just for show – a few silent displays of magic and his cage moved to the back of the room and became part of the wall with a doorway leading outside. Albus nodded to the two wolves and the hound, and left, closing the door behind. His pose and pace were steady, but even Sirius could whiff the tiredness radiating from the headmaster.

After the headmaster left, the cage collapsed leaving only the locked door blocking the way out. But the three beasts didn't even try to leave.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Albus was being helped up the stairs to his office by a worried, yet angry Severus Snape. "You shouldn't risk yourself as much..."

"I cannot even consider leaving Harry to his fate," the voice was weak, but still audible, "there must be a way..."

"Am I to presume that Legilimency failed?"

"It gave a possible answer to the puzzle that has been eluding me for quite some time."

Snape frowned. "Not going to shed any light on the matter?"

Albus smiled weakly, almost whispering the words, "performing Legilimency on werewolves is slightly more dangerous, due to a simple happenstance, that the wolf is as much of a part of the mind as the man."

Snape still wasn't satisfied. "Yes, that was the conclusion of my experience with it. And?"

"A foreign presence in werewolves mind both encourages the separation and infuriates the wolf. Yet, in case of Harry Potter, this anger was enough to serve as a distraction, however it did not prove enough for him to push the wolf aside tonight."

Snape nodded, offering a drink from a vial that Albus complied to, shivering slightly with the first few gulps. Yet, after taking it, Albus voice returned to its usual strength.

"Severus, I believe we could be onto something here – perhaps a component from Veritaserum..."

"...a tie with the moon-cycle and the weakening of the mental barriers," Snape muttered, "it might prove to be the unique solution to Potter's Wolfsbane Potion."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The night was similar, yet different – it had an eerie similarity for his second full moon, where he hadn't yet mutilated his godfather and when he still couldn't even believe that this had happened to him. Now, the wolf, having taken over was a more pronounced presence – a powerful entity looming above him.

Harry was slightly in awe of the power his wolf was showing – it appeared that there was no way to chain it, nor overpower him, even with assistance from Albus Dumbledore.

Moony had been especially careful, ready to spring to help Padfoot at any second, but the hound wasn't. As soon as Sirius realized that his godson wasn't going to take a bite of dog meat, he returned to the amount of familiarity displayed in the first moon they had together.

The presence of his pack, soothing and warm, helped Harry and his wolf to sleep.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The start of the change woke him up, and Harry shook quite a few times until he reverted back. Everything was sore, perhaps even more than usually. This time Pomfrey arrived slightly late, but still, he had to endure the full usual check up. She was only half listening to their conversation.

"So, did it work?" Sirius couldn't wait until Poppy finished. "Or are we still at the square one?"

Remus shook his head at the same time as Harry.

"But something was better? You did let me come close?"

"Something was..." Harry agreed and trailed of, staring somewhere next to Sirius.

"Harry?" Remus followed the gaze seeing nothing. "What is it?"

He shook his head as if trying to get rid of some image. "I probably forgot to tell both of you about the night I went into the forest?"

Sirius almost choked. "I showed you that place not because I wanted you to go there every night..."

"It was before that..."

"That is much worse," Sirius raised his hands up in the air, mockingly showing how much worse it was. "You should have told us before..." He lowered them and scratched his chin. "Still, I guess I lack any moral ground to reprimand you."

"It was just before Malfoy..."

"Moral..." Remus coughed uncomfortably, biting back a different response he had meant for Sirius. "Harry, you needn't blame yourself for that..."

"That's not it!" Harry growled, "It's about the wolf..."

Pomfrey stood up and announced that she was finished. They let her leave with but a few nods and grunted goodbyes, their attention still focused solely on Harry.

"You see, after I visited the forest I could feel the wolf even clearer than before... I could almost see it watching over me."

"Watching over?" Remus started, but Harry didn't let him finish.

"It betrayed me by making me attack Malfoy. I shouldn't have trusted it..." Harry wasn't exactly sure of his words – had the wolf not shown its true face, he would have relished the protection. "I don't think I will ever trust it again." His eyes narrowed at an empty space between Remus and Sirius. "I will never trust it." Harry jumped to stand and winced from the pain in the whole body. "I don't understand."

Sirius and Remus traded worried glances between themselves.

"Last time he went away after I started opposing him."

"You can see him now?"

"It. Yes." Harry was snarling at an apparently empty space. "It's watching, and I can tell it doesn't like me almost as much as I hate it."

"Great, my godson is seeing things." Sirius laughed a nervous, barking laughter and turned to Remus. "Or is that a possible side effect?"

"Well, it is within possibilities..."Lupin shrugged.

"What? Moony, can you see your wolf too?"

Harry shifted his attention to Lupin, waiting for the confirmation, that the occurrence wasn't just another difference from the norm. There was little chance – Lupin had said that sensing wolf is impossible before, how could it be different with seeing it?

"Before, I would have said it's impossible..." Remus began saying, aware of Harry's worry, "however, I have experienced something similar..."

"When? How?" Harry was staring at Moony.

"Legilimency..." he admitted, "When Snape tried out a theory of his, it stirred the wolf inside – I think it was familiar to what you are usually feeling. After a few tries we were both tired to the point of passing out, and I could swear that I saw myself in the wolf form watching curiously from the corner of the room. It faded as a shadow as soon as I tried to get a better look, but I cannot deny the occurrence."

"Wait." Sirius looked insulted. "You mean to tell me that the Legilimency idea was originally one of _Snivellus'_? And you made me agree with Albus?"

Remus punched him weakly on the side. "I didn't tell you because you would have been unreasonable."

"I am..."

"More unreasonable."

Harry smiled, very briefly. "So _that_." He pointed at the wolf. "Will go away after a while?"

"I believe so – but it would be wise to talk to Albus. I'll get to you after the conversation, alright?"

Harry nodded.

"So, let's talk about something else!" Sirius grabbed him in a careful half-hug. "How goes your progress with dancing?"

Remus blinked, unsure about what the conversation was supposed to be about now.

"Err..." Harry was also taken aback by Sirius.

"Did you even try to do something, or do we have to make you take lessons today?"

"I did..." Harry allowed. "But I'm still rubbish at it."

Sirius barked with his laughter. "True son of James. He didn't learn to dance properly till his seventh year. He hated dancing."

"Why?"

"It has always been somewhat of a tradition for respected purebloods to learn how to dance, so naturally he was already slightly opposed to the idea. And I might have told him a little too many horror stories about my dancing teacher."

Remus piped in, finally catching up with Sirius train of thought. "But he did learn how to in the end."

"Yeah, Lily only had to mention it once, and he did."

Harry reddened a little. "I hope I won't make a fool out of myself..."

"So, just be happy that it's the end of the term and we have just found a perfect pass time for today." Sirius was grinning. "Don't worry; I think I am a better tutor than my mother ever was."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The holiday season wasn't that much different from the usual term – there were lots of people crowding the castle, everyone eagerly awaiting the ball. The Weasley twins were especially happy as their products, especially the Canary Creams were quite popular. They were still to get Harry, as the Cream carried a distinct annoying scent of wet feathers.

All Hogwarts was buzzing with rumours and gossips about the ball, it's dates and generally everything else, including the mystery of the future tasks. Apparently the fact that he was taking Cho to the ball interested students more than anything – all the talk about him and her was a gossip that just wouldn't calm down. Since he could hear their names uttered in all the corners of the school with perfect clarity, it meant that most of the time he walked with burning cheeks, at least in his mind.

The wolf was an annoying companion, more easily felt, but it seemed that it was content with staying on the side; the only difference was that Harry could always see a ghostly outline that got stronger and weaker following an unknown pattern. It made him avoid people more than usually, as he was slightly uncomfortable even when the wolf was literally doing nothing.

He even took a couple of days trying to crack the egg, but couldn't get past the screams – he always covered his ears with ear muffs, remembering the piercing pain, and the sound wasn't much of a help. Still the scents, each time stronger and more pronounced, pointed at something in the Black Lake.

When he went to the shore he found the exact same aroma hidden in the depths... Obviously, the task had something to do with water, the fact made the wolf slightly uncomfortable, and some kind of creatures living in the depths.

He figured he would ask Hermione or even Cho for help some time later– hopefully as his companion disappeared. It was a real pain when the golden egg was opened – the wolf apparently didn't like the screaming at all and Harry had to fight the foreign urge to tear the egg to pieces. Remus had not much to say on the matter. _Dumbledore believes that it should retreat back to your consciousness after a week at most._ So he waited.

As the wolf took time snarling at gossipers, it also always knew where his pack was, and Harry sometimes found the wolf staring at Cho – a fact he was extremely uncomfortable with – he couldn't understand why it was behaving so.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

They had a few short meetings before the ball. Those were simple, short and usually ended with a quick hug – Cho always had friends wanting to talk with her, and he never asked her to say no. She didn't press him to come with her either.

"What are you going to wear?" She asked once, just after the term ended, startling him.

"What?" He was looking at the wolf, but its stance didn't look aggressive, so he returned his attention back to Cho.

She giggled. "To the ball... I do not want our clothes to clash."

He blinked a few times. "Well... I have bottle green dress robes, Mrs. Weasley had brought them to me in the summer – we left most of the shopping to her, as we went to the quidditch cup. They are nothing too fancy..."

"Alright, I'll try not to go overboard too."

"You'll look good in anything," he whispered thinking that it was the truth.

Even as it came out slightly cheesy, she hugged him lightly. "Sometimes, you are really sweet."

Harry was smiling – with Cho, the rumours and whispers where nothing. Only the wolf standing so close to them both that he could even feel the rough hairs touching his leg still remained a problem.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

But a day before the ball, she found him, beaming with happiness and relief so visibly, that it made him smile even before hearing her words. "My mother wrote me, and she said that she doesn't care anymore."

"Really?" He hugged her, aware of his wolf's shade. Apparently his happiness transferred to it too, as its green eyes were sparkling with excitement too.

"She even sent me everything I asked her for! I thought I was going to make do with..." She stopped and winked. "Well, I'm not going to say anything – it's a surprise."

He laughed, the wolfish companion forgotten. "I was afraid she wouldn't back up as easily."

"Well, you did good on the first task, and I told her that you aren't dangerous."

He swallowed, but nodded, still keeping the smile.

"And she did say that she gets the right to say 'I told you so.' if you turn out to be a prat. I don't think you will, though."

Still grinning Harry swore to himself – he would spend the remaining time preparing and remembering the moves his godfather drilled into him. Surprisingly the wolf didn't mind the music, and after three lessons with Sirius (they had an argument about safety that was overruled by his godfather not wanting to hear anything) he hoped that he wouldn't be too horrible when the time came.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Finally it was Christmas - every hour brought closer the dance - having had six lessons in total, and having practiced the moves alone whenever Harry found time, he was still dreading the moment he would have to use what he had learned. He probably was the only one, besides Neville, that practiced by himself or, maybe, it was just Neville who admitted it after one late evening they ran into each other before the Fat lady. Both boys had promised to keep quiet about it to their dorm mates.

Luckily for Harry, the presents served as a good enough distraction – with the obvious exception of the Dursleys', which consisted of a single tissue, an all time low – Harry supposed they still remembered Weasleys wrecking their room.

Hermione had given Harry a book called **Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland**, in addition to which she included a small muggle book on wolves - Harry didn't exactly know how to react to that, and just put it into his trunk;

Dobby had given him odd socks; Ron, a bulging bag of Dungbombs - Harry swore to himself to never use them - he knew their scent already; Sirius, a handy penknife with attachments to unlock any lock and undo any knot; and Hagrid, a vast box of sweets including all Harry's favourites: Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and Fizzing Whizbees. There was also, of course, Mrs. Weasley's usual package, including a new sweater (green, with a picture of a dragon on it - Harry supposed Charlie had told her all about the Horntail), and a large quantity of homemade mince pies.

A used handbook on duelling, bought in Hogsmeade, carried a small note from Ginny on the first page.**_ Hope it will help in the tournament. Ginny._**

Cho had gifted him a book too, although hers was with lots of photographs and illustrations, covering various seeker plays and the latest stars in the position. The book, of course, had a few pages on Victor Krum. **_My uncle swears that this is most useful for us seekers, and I don't want to hold an unfair advantage against you. After you win the tournament, I hope our next match will be a thing to see. Merry Christmas, Cho._**

On his part, he had gotten the girls jewellery by Owl Order - Sirius had insisted. Harry chuckled remembering the conversation. _What do you mean if they won't like it? Do you mean to tell me that my help choosing was for nothing? You wound me, Harry, right_ _here_, Harry remembered Sirius pointing,_ in my heart. _Still, he was slightly afraid – the bracelet was slightly more expensive than his usual gifts to the friends, but Sirius told him than he could afford a few even bigger purchases – his trust vault could afford it. _Just don't make a too big of a habit out of it before you finish Hogwarts. Or, you could always owl me, and I'll cover the cost._

Both Hermione and Ginny were quite surprised, but he had written the note thanking about the dancing lessons, so they didn't make fuss about it. He got a fair share of sisterly hugs out if it, however, making Ron raise a confused eyebrow.

They day went on silently – Harry chose to forgo the usual Weasleys' snowball fight – he feared that the wolf would make him go overboard and that really wasn't what he wanted for Christmas. Staying to read in the common room he saw girls starting to rush upstairs quite early, chatting about ready. He smiled – he could hear most of the conversations in the girl dorms – they sounded excited and were speaking quite loudly... However, as it was quite unfitting for him to listen in, he just focused on the book – Cho's present was really growing on him. The debate about Plumpton scooping the snitch with his sleeve reminded him of his first year catch with his mouth and left him chuckling. Had he pretended it was deliberate, perhaps they would have named the move after him...

Then, suddenly, it was time to get ready. He changed his clothes up in the dormitory, and after hesitating for a second, pinned the small silvery brooch on the lapel. It was a little bit presumptuous of him, yet Sirius was adamant. It was a tiny raven with sapphire eyes, and touching the engravings on it, Harry was slightly relieved that Remus explained the dangers of silver being only a muggle myth.

He was one of the first boys to come back to the common room, and probably was the first one to leave – he had agreed to meet Cho at Ravenclaw tower entrance.

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/VVVV\

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><p>The chapter had a few small quotes about some of the gifts taken directly from Rowling's Goblet of Fire. I didn't mark them as not to break the flow.<p> 


	15. The Ravens

**Disclaimer**: Rowling and Harry.

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XV

The Ravens

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/VVVV\

There were so many different perfumes being used in the castle, that it became a swirling trap. Of course, it was possible to at least try and ignore it all – Harry found that he was becoming quite resistant to the onslaught of the unfamiliar. By getting to know hundreds of different scents, Harry could easily push them to the side unless needed. Still, not wanting to risk it, he checked the Ravenclaw entrance for trails of cinnamon, and finding that Cho was still inside, he took a drop of the numbing potion and hid the vial in the robes. His head cleared - apparently, the perfumes were really getting to him. Harry gave an angry glare to the wolf, which was still but a shade, visible at some glances, and sometimes disappearing without a trace.

Cho wasn't the first Ravenclaw to exit while Harry waited. There were quite a few pairs, and even some lone girls or boys walking past him. Many a gaze lingered on him - it seemed that even though the rumours were everywhere, everyone was surprised to see him at the entrance to the Ravenclaw tower.

There were only a few who waved at him, most of them being girls he barely knew.

After another minute or two - he really didn't mind the wait, just the occasional rude stares - he was joined by someone he should probably have expected but didn't.

"Cedric," said Harry, smiling at the other champion.

"Harry." Cedric looked slightly surprised too. "Waiting for Cho?"

Harry nodded. "What about you? Marietta, right?"

The Hufflepuff darkened a shade, it wouldn't have been noticeable, had Harry been human. Cho had mentioned in passing that Marietta got invited by Cedric, but Harry didn't really realize there was any significance. Or, it was just the way Hufflepuffs behaved.

"I hope I haven't missed her..." mumbled Cedric and finished louder. "You haven't seen...?"

"They both are inside." He wasn't exactly sure now, but they would have to go through the main entrance in any case.

Cedric opened his mouth and closed it again, but then looked around and whispered. "Any luck with the egg?"

"Not much." Harry admitted, but got somewhat weary. "Why do you ask?"

"Well... I..." Cedric sighed. "It came out somewhat wrong. Just don't bother with detection spells and the like - it's warded like an ancient tomb against most magic. Wasted lots of time on that. I wish I could help more, I feel like I owe..."

Harry laughed. "Thank you. But I didn't tell to get something in return..."

"I know, still... I owe you..." Cedric wanted to say something more, but Harry caught a whiff of cinnamon - incredibly weak, yet still there. That meant Cho was nearing the entrance.

"Maybe we should talk later?" He stopped the older boy as the door opened revealing Marietta and Cho.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Marietta looked pretty, but Cho... Harry reddened slightly and opened his mouth, staring. Maybe it was the graceful silver silk dress, the small patterns of light green woven into the sleeves, her glittering black hair held back with green band or the silver earrings with small emeralds that could have left him speechless alone, but mostly it was the fact that she had the bracelet on.

It wasn't huge or imposing, yet there was something that drew the eye towards it - shining with white silver, alike her dress, enclosing a beautifully crafted darker raven. The raven itself looked almost black when compared to her dress, looking at everyone with sapphire eyes. It wasn't enchanted to move, yet it looked like the small raven would spread his wings and fly from her hand at any second.

Cedric nudged him, and Harry realized he should say something.

"Cho, you look..." He tried to compliment her, but his mind felt empty but for one word. "Gorgeous..."

She giggled, at the same time when Cedric was planting a kiss on Marietta's hand. Yet Harry and Cho didn't even notice them for a few more moments.

"Thanks. You look incredibly handsome yourself."

"Cho?" Marietta looked at both of them shaking them out of the stillness they had fallen into. "We'll meet you at the entrance."

He leaned his head slightly watching Cedric and Marietta going down the stairs. "Maybe we should get going too?"

Cho hugged him.

"O..?" It wasn't that he minded, but... "Wh...?"

"It's a bit too much... The raven," she whispered into his ear, "and I only got you a book."

He laughed squeezing her gently. "I saw it and thought that you would like it..."

They spun slightly, careful not to fall down from the stairs.

"I did... and I do. It even matches the earrings my mother sent... and the dress..." Slowly retreating from their embrace, Cho brushed her lips on his ear, sending shivers down his spine. "Let's go."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The entrance hall was packed with students too, all milling around waiting for eight o'clock, when the doors to the Great Hall would be thrown open. Those people who were meeting partners from different Houses were edging through the crowd trying to find one another. Harry smiled – the crowd still tickled his nose, but he could probably find most of the people he knew blindfolded. Still, he was clinging to Cho's arm with a drop of unreasonable fear, as if she could evaporate into nothingness as the spectre of his wolf recently did.

The oak front doors opened, and everyone turned to look as the Durmstrang students entered with Professor Karkaroff. Krum was at the front of the party, accompanied by Hermione in blue robes – Harry had to blink twice to believe his eyes.

Over their heads he saw that an area of lawn right in front of the castle had been transformed into a sort of grotto full of fairy lights - meaning hundreds of actual living fairies were sitting in the rosebushes that had been conjured there, and fluttering over the statues of what seemed to be Father Christmas and his reindeer.

Then Professor McGonagall's voice called, "Champions over here, please!"

Harry looked at Cho, took a deep breath and stepped forward. The crowd started parting to let them pass, but not before he noticed the frown on Malfoy's face. Pansy, clutching the blond haired boy's hand whitened to mach the hair, her eyes darting to Draco's ear – it was slightly covered with hair, but not fully – the mangled mess was visible very well. Harry followed her gaze and almost fell over – only the fact that Cho was holding onto him lightly and assisted in finding balance, helped him from embarrassing himself before the three schools.

Thoughts on Malfoy plagued him for another two steps, and he, again, noticed his wolf stalking at the other side of Cho. Harry gave out a silent groan that Cho caught.

"Harry, don't you try and worry about Malfoy – we are here for the ball."

He nodded, focusing his gaze on her, on the warmth of her arm and the scent of cinnamon. The wolf followed him.

Professor McGonagall, who was wearing dress robes of red tartan and had arranged a rather ugly wreath of thistles around the brim other hat, told them to wait on one side of the doors while everyone else went inside; they were to enter the Great Hall in procession when the rest of the students had sat down.

Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies stationed themselves nearest the doors; Davies looked so stunned by his good fortune in having Fleur for a partner that he could hardly take his eyes off her. Cedric and Marrieta were close to Harry and Cho, the girls gave each other a glance with a smile. Next to Krum, Hermione stood looking cheerful.

"Hi, Harry!" she said. "Hello, Cho!"

Cho was gazing at Hermione in unflattering disbelief, yet gathered herself and smiled back. "Hermione."

Krum looked at Harry and Cho as if seeing them for the first time and nodded at them. His movements were sharp, and his eyes darted to Harry's face and quickly returned to Hermione, as he noticed that Potter was looking mostly at Chang.

The champions silently let the students pass by, many of those gaping at Hermione, Krum and Harry. Ron didn't even say hello, just narrowed his eyes at Hermione. His date, a girl Harry recognised as Luna from her conversations with Ginny at some meals, was skipping next to him, oblivious to Ron's displeasure. Having never seen her up close, Harry took a deep breath trying to remember both her scent and appearance – it was a habit with anyone coming close to him these days. Something similar in aroma to lemons? She had straggly, waist-length, dirty blonde hair, very pale eyebrows and protuberant eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look, her light green dress clashing with Ron's red hair. She winked at Harry, nodded at Cho and shrugged at Hermione. Then, she did something Harry didn't expect. She looked at his wolf, right into its eyes, smiled and even waved at it. Then she disappeared in the Hall with other students leaving a startled Harry.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The meal went fine – Harry spent most of the time listening to other's conversations – he sat near Percy, Cho beside him. Cedric sat near them – it appeared that he chose the place so just for Marietta to be able to converse with Cho freely. While Harry ate, they did exchange a few hushed words, both the girls chuckling at Dumbledore's story.

When the meal was heading towards the end, Harry having eaten his plate only because of the wolfs hunger, as otherwise he probably would have been too nervous to eat properly, he reached out to touch Cho's fingers.

"Cho..." he whispered after a second of silence, "I think I should have told you before, but... I'm only learning to dance..."

She looked at his worried look, and noticed the difficulty with what he parted with the words. "Well, I'm not a professional either." She winked at him, lightly stroking his hand. "And it's really sweet that you are learning to. Let's just try our best."

"I will."

Suddenly, they were in the spotlight, and Harry felt annoyance rising in his wolf. Still, pushing his fears to the side, he stood up, never releasing Cho's hand.

The Weird Sisters struck up a slow, mournful tune; Harry walked onto the brightly lit dance floor, carefully avoiding catching anyone's eye (his wolf was doing that for him, growling at Seamus' and Dean's sniggering), and next moment, he placed one hand around Cho's waist, still holding her hand tightly in his.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

It wasn't a perfect dance, yet Harry felt good. They started slowly, carefully, as if measuring each other's ability. Cho, apparently, could dance better than Ginny and Hermione, yet didn't measure up to Sirius – his godfather claimed that he had quite a lot of experience from years before the Azkaban. Still, she quickly managed to match Harry's pace and technique, and after a few moments they looked better than he had hoped they would – not the best dancers on the dance floor, yet among the better ones. He was yet to step on her toes, and it looked like she was having fun.

"You needn't have scared me, Mr. Potter," she whispered, getting closer to him after a graceful spin, "it appears you had a good teacher."

He fumbled a step, but quickly recovered.

She laughed heartily. "Spoke too soon?"

Harry's ears were burning out of embarrassment. "Sorry."

"Don't worry, Harry. Do you want to know the secret?"

He didn't answer, trying to remember the steps.

"Let go of your worries and simply dance with the music."

He nodded and tried. It was a good try – there were no more missteps till the end of the dance.

"Nice socks Potter," Moody growled as he passed, his magical eye staring through Harry's robes.

"Oh - yeah, Dobby the house-elf knitted them for me," said Harry, grinning.

"Dobby?" Cho whispered as Moody clunked away. "What do they look like?"

"Well... different. One has broomsticks and the other is with snitches."

Cho giggled. "Reminds me of Luna."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Just..." Cho didn't finish as the song was ending.

Harry heard the final, quavering note from the bagpipe and grinned. The Weird Sisters stopped playing, applause filled the hall once more, but Cho and Harry still held each other.

"Another?" they both asked at the same time. Cho laughed – it was a good laugh, as it made him feel warm deep inside.

The Weird Sisters struck up a new song, which was much faster. Harry lost himself in music and the aroma of cinnamon, letting everything else fade in comparison.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Three dances later, he still hadn't stepped on her toes, and Cho, looking really happy so far, offered to take a short break. He noticed that she looked slightly more tired than he was, and agreed that they could use a drink.

They both took a short walk around finding themselves some butterbeer, holding each other's hand, fingers entwined. The wolf was walking on the other side of Cho, as if on a guard duty. Harry had almost forgotten him during the dance.

"So, who should I thank for your dancing skills?"

Harry smiled. "Well, when I realized that I can't dance, but will have to, I wrote a letter to Remus," He quickly decided to change the story so he wouldn't have to mention Sirius. "And got a really helpful reply saying only 'learn how to'."

Cho let out a giggle.

"It wasn't funny at the time."

"Was that after the ball was announced? You must be a fast learner, then. Who did you ask for help?"

Harry's gaze found Ginny and Neville, the former wincing frequently as Neville trod on her feet. She still was smiling though. "Well, to tell the truth, Hermione and Ginny realized my problem and jumped to help themselves."

She didn't react visibly to Hermione's name this time. "You could have asked me, Harry."

"I was..." He gulped. "I feared that you wouldn't want to bother with my clumsiness. Or, would have changed your mind about attending."

"I wouldn't have." She pecked him on the cheek. "My little cowardly Gryffindor. So, did it take lots of lessons?"

They were slowly making their way towards Ron and Luna, taking a few sips of butterbeer from their bottles every few paces. Harry was holding his in the left hand. After one of the sips, he finally answered. "Three and three."

"Three with Hermione and three with Ginny?"

"No, three with them and three with Remus."

"Remus Lupin?" She raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Professor werewolf?"

"Yeah," he muttered not fully liking the tone of her 'werewolf', "he was really helpful."

"How do you know him? I mean beside the defence lessons?"

"He was one of my father's friends."

"Oh." She said and went silent for a second. "I remember, he was a good teacher."

"The best we had." Harry said.

"Probably."

They were at Ron's table. Harry didn't want to spend the rest of the evening there, but he figured he should at least talk for a few seconds. He hoped Cho wouldn't mind.

"How's it going?" Harry asked Ron, still standing.

Ron didn't answer and Cho looked at him curiously. He was glaring at Hermione and Krum, who were dancing nearby. Luna was sitting and playing with two butterbeer corks in her hand, her legs crossed, both feet jiggling in time to the music.

"Luna, how is the evening so far?" asked Cho, hoping for better success than Harry had.

Luna raised her head, eyes looking somewhere at the side. "Yes," said Luna dreamily, her eyes locking on Harry's wolf. "Yes, it was quite enjoyable, you know. You're Harry Potter," she added.

"So... you're Luna," he said lamely.

"And you're Harry," she repeated again, eyes tracing the wolf's tail, which was twitching slightly, "your hair looks really interesting. And the candle light is reflected in your eyes."

"But you're not even looking at him!" Ron exclaimed finally noticing his friend standing before him, "how can you see the light?"

"I am looking at him."

Harry growled, "you're not looking at me."

"I am."

"There is nothing..." He felt like he needed to convince himself that she couldn't see the wolf.

"Harry..." Cho smiled. "There is no use arguing with Luna."

"Hello, Cho." Luna nodded at her, flapping her hands at thin air, as though beating off large invisible moths. "I'm sorry to hear that the Wrackspurts got Harry."

"Wrackspurts?" Harry blinked.

"They make the brain fuzzy," Cho answered at the same time as Luna, but continued, whereas Luna fell silent. "And they don't exist."

"What doesn't?" Hermione came over and stood next to Cho. She was a bit pink in the face from dancing.

Cho sighed. "Just leave it be. Luna believes six impossible things before breakfast."

Hermione laughed and didn't press further.

"Hi, Hermione" said Harry, when she finished chuckling and started fanning herself with her hand... Ron didn't say anything to even acknowledge her presence.

"It's hot, isn't it? Viktor's just gone to get some drinks."

Ron gave her a withering look. "Viktor?" he said. "Hasn't he asked you to call him Vicky yet?"

Hermione looked at him in surprise. "What's up with you?" she said.

"If you don't know," said Ron scathingly, "I'm not going to tell you."

Hermione stared at him, then at Harry, who blinked, wide eyed. Cho looked even more confused, and Luna was ignoring everyone – she was staring at Harry's wolf, and slowly creeping towards it.

"Ron, what -?"

"He's from Durmstrang!" spat Ron. "He's competing against Harry! Against Hogwarts! You - you're -" Ron was obviously casting around for words strong enough to describe Hermione's crime, "fraternizing with the enemy, that's what you're doing!"

Harry and Cho could just stare at the pair arguing, gobsmacked. With each retort, the argument was getting more and more heated, and a few people were already staring their way.

"Ron," said Harry quietly after a while, "I haven't got a problem with Hermione coming with Krum -"

But Ron ignored Harry too.

Luna was moving her hand through the air, somewhere near the wolf, as if trying to touch it. She didn't have much luck, but at least the wolf looked interested. No one paid her any heed – everyone was looking at two Gryffindors and the open mouthed champion with his date.

"Why don't you go and find Vicky, he'll be wondering where you are," said Ron.

"Don't call him Vicky!"

Hermione jumped to her feet and stormed off across the dance floor, disappearing into the crowd. Ron watched her go with a mixture of anger and satisfaction on his face.

"Ron." Harry sighed. "Was it really necasarry?"

"But she," said Ron, still glaring after Hermione.

"Ron."

He quieted down, but then saw Luna, who had a puzzled expression on her face and her hand extended just above the head of the wolf. "Luna, what are you doing?"

The wolf took a few steps back. Luna pouted and stood up straight. "He's just shy."

Ron rolled his eyes. Harry wanted to ask her about the wolf, but couldn't think of a question that wouldn't make him sound as crazy as she was.

"Vare is Herm-own-ninny?" said a voice, killing the silence since Luna's proclamation.

Krum had just arrived at Ron's table, clutching two butterbeers.

"No idea," said Ron mulishly, looking up at him. "Lost her, have you?"

Krum was looking surly again.

"Veil, if you see her, tell her I haff drinks, and Potter, ve haff to talk later," he said, and he slouched off.

When Percy arrived, looking extremely pompous, Harry exchanged a glance with Cho and blurted out – "let's go and dance again?"

She smiled, putting an empty bottle on the table. They quickly left Ron and Luna to cope with Percy alone.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

They spun in the dance floor for a song in complete silence, and when the next one started, Harry sighed, "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault that your friends... had a falling out."

"I can't believe Ron was that..." Harry didn't know what word to use.

"Jealous?" She giggled. "He was looking at her all evening."

"Do you really think so?"

"I would even guess that Hermione hoped to go with him."

Harry blinked remembering the looks Hermione sometimes gave Ron, when she thought that no one could see her. "Maybe..."

"Now I'm sure." Cho laughed - apparently the idea that Granger was trying to get noticed by Ron appealed to her. "Because who else would know better than you."

"Ginny?" he half said, half asked.

She didn't answer; just let them both loose themselves in the dance.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

After a few more songs, Harry found himself dragged towards Marietta and Diggory. He didn't mind, and soon he was grinning with Cedric from a side as Marietta and Cho started exchanging excited opinion about the music.

"So, what's your progress?" said Cedric.

Harry almost choked on the sweet he had just taken from the nearest table and reddened glancing at Cho. "What?"

"With the egg," Cedric laughed, "although it does seem that you are having a good time."

"I am." Harry agreed after catching up his breath. "But I have not many ideas with the damned thing. Are we even allowed to talk about it between ourselves?"

"You are," came a reply from behind them.

Harry silently cursed – with all the scented candles burning and the drop of the potion he didn't smell Krum approaching. Hermione was with him too, her eyes glittering strangely.

Noticing that the three champions wanted to talk, Marietta quickly included Hermione in the talk, which shifted from music to Christmas presents. Harry was too aware to stop listening completely, but he at least tried to tune out the conversation about his gifts – Hermione's brooch in the shape of a book and Cho's bracelet.

"Viktor." Diggory looked suspicious.

"I haff come to return the debt." Viktor was looking at Harry when he was saying it, but he gestured at Cedric. "And I don't mind him hearing."

Harry shrugged. "You owe me nothing."

Cedric was gobsmacked. "You told **everyone**?"

Krum laughed a rough laughter.

Harry looked uncomfortable. "You don't really have to try to help me."

"I haff." Viktor looked slightly insulted. "This vay, ven I vin, you can't say that it vas because you helped me."

"But I can figure it out myself." Harry's wolf was feeding him some pride to mach Krum's. "I already know it has something to do with the lake's creatures."

"I can go away for a while," Cedric shrugged, "you don't need to tell me too."

"Vhen I vin, I can say that I even helped my opponents, and they still lost." Krum was wearing a large smile. "But Potter is on a right track. The second task is about vater. The clue reflects the task."

Cedric lightly smacked his own head. "Of course – it must sound different when submerged."

"And this is vere ve should stop." Krum smiled and changed the topic. "I heard from Herm-own-ninny that you are both seekers."

"Cho is one too," Harry pointed at her, his movement making the girls stop their conversation. "We are the three best in Hogwarts."

"Yeah, but Harry here never fails to catch the Snitch." Diggory grinned.

"Except the time you caught it from my nose," said Harry.

"But that time, Cedric was cheating," Cho interrupted, "there were Dementors on his side."

"Dementors?" Krum quirked an eyebrow, disbelief evident on his face.

"Still, even if there weren't any, Cedric would have caught that one," Marietta smiled at her date, who looked uncomfortable under her claim, but didn't protest. "And yes, there were Dementors on the field."

"And fake ones on the next game," Cho grinned. "Harry scared them with his Patronus."

Krum opened his mouth and stared at Harry, then at Cho and then – Hermione. "Is that true?"

Hermione only nodded.

"I haff to hear about this."

It fell on Hermione to do most of the telling, but others piped in every few minutes to clarify the plays used. Viktor listened intently and then followed up with some more interesting matches of his. They talked Quidditch for quite some time, and surprisingly, Harry noticed that neither Hermione nor Marietta, both of whom never expressed much interest in the sport, didn't seem to mind.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"...and then Harry coughed it back into his hand." Marietta finished. "His face changed from a man's with constipation into a cheerful one."

Everyone roared with laughter. Harry found that even when at first glance it appeared that the laughter was directed at him, it wasn't, so he simply laughed with all of them. Suddenly, he remembered Cho's gift.

"I call it the Potter Ploy," He announced, puffing his chest and doing his best Lockhart impression. But he didn't manage to hold the serious face for more than a few seconds; he still managed to finish, though, "the tricky part **is**coughing the snitch back."

They laughed so much that Cho had tears in her eyes and Viktor was holding his chest for breath. The few onlookers that were gathered by the previous conversation and merry mood also joined in, those of Hogwarts were even more amused as they recognised the Gilderoy impression for what it was. Harry was slightly in awe about the whole situation and started to feel uncomfortable, when Cho touched his arm and calmed him down.

Viktor didn't pay that much heed and clasped his hand around Harry's shoulders. "We haff to play someday. After the second task? You can even try your Potter Ploy." He removed the hand from Harry's shoulders. The last bit was directed at everyone - "ve will talk details later. Might even make it a four seeker competition."

The three Hogwarts seekers exchanged glances and just managed a nod.

Even as they were yet to speak, the rumour had already travelled throughout the Hall – Viktor was going to play Hogwarts seekers, sans Malfoy.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter had a few small quotes about some of the gifts taken directly from Rowling's Goblet of Fire. Also a word or two from Half Blood Prince and Order of Phoenix. I didn't mark them as not to break the flow.<p> 


	16. The Pieces

**Disclaimer**: Rowling is a character in a series of books written by Harry Potter. Most wizards bought all the books, as they carried the name of the Boy-Who-Lived on the covers.

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XVI

The Pieces

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Harry?" Cho asked quietly as they were spinning on the dance floor, in a slow and calm dance. "You were... different, back there. With Krum."

He blinked, his eyes on her face – as the dance was slow, he didn't need an occasional gaze downwards. "What do you mean?"

"You're usually avoiding the spotlight like a plague..." She breathed out. "Not that I don't like that part of you."

They were simply swaying to the music now, having a hushed conversation between themselves.

"What if there is a part of me you won't like?" Harry whispered without thinking.

She smiled, moving her hand to touch his cheek for emphasis. "Every single part of you is still you. And I don't think that I'll ever stop liking you."

"Every part is still me." Harry whispered distractedly, his eyes jumping towards the wolf standing near them.

"And I believe that all of them are perfect!" She finished with a glint in her eyes. An echo of candles burning in her eyes.

Harry lost himself in her flame. His wolf was too consumed by the blaze, watching it with primal interest, with... Was the wolf as much a part of him as every other one? Harry felt it freeze with his thoughts. It? Luna had her eyes on the wolf all the time. _And you're Harry. _Was he lying to himself?

"Do you think..." he started, unsure what he was aiming at, "If there is a part of me that I am afraid to accept, would..."

"Harry." Cho's tone was completely serious. "Everyone has something that they are not proud of. Everyone has parts they don't know about. But denying a piece of yourself is just a lie. It's better to stop deceiving yourself and just accept it. Even if you hate it, you have to accept it in order to shape it to your liking." She stroked his cheek, offering her warmth as a support for him. "You are a hero of the wizarding world - the Boy-Who-Lived. I have seen enough to know that you hate everything that comes with the title... You probably hate it because of how it came to be; but you cannot deny its existence – you shouldn't deceive yourself. Embrace it; don't pretend you are just another student... Harry?"

Harry felt his knees buckle, but then straightened himself back up. Was he doing everything wrong? Was he thinking...? "But I don't want to accept it. I don't want to be a..." he almost slipped, "the Boy-Who-Lived. I want people to greet me without looking at the scar." **Without the fear of dark creatures**. "My friends sometimes feel so distant. They can't look past it all; it takes time for them to remember I'm just Harry..." He would have liked to point out that Ron still shuddered whenever Harry growled without thinking... Harry knew the half-hidden fear in Ron's eyes very well – it appeared whenever Ron saw the absence of glasses and remembered why it was so... He simply kept it all inside.

"And you cannot expect it to be otherwise. We all have grown under hundreds stories about you, that probably even haven't got a grain of truth in them... But most importantly – we have grown under the hope your name gives everyone – you can't just pretend that it isn't there. It won't go away simply because you wish it to. When people look at the scar, they are just looking for the symbol of hope and promise of light."

"So... They will never look past it, and see me for what I am?" His voice was shaking. Had it not been for her touch, he probably would have gotten angry. "Is that what you are trying to tell me?"

"You just need to accept for what it is, and move on – it's a part of you they want to see, and you can't blame them for it. But you also cannot blame yourself for it. After the first glance everyone is trying to see you – but when you try to sever any connections you have – they will not notice the whole."

"You believe that they will be able see me, when I accept what I am?"

"Yes. Isn't it so with your friends? Haven't they looked at your scar first, tried to understand a part of you that you didn't even want to have? And then, when they managed to cross the gap you have created yourself, didn't they just start to see the whole?"

Remus collapsed against the wall; Harry hadn't seen Sirius' nor Dumbledore's reactions, but he figured it hurt them deeply; Pomfrey had instantly been sorry for him; Hermione cried; Ron stormed out of the tent in disbelief; Ginny ran and locked herself in the bathroom; Mr. Weasley was shocked; But all of them continued on – all of them saw him whole, as he was, and didn't change their behaviour towards him that much.

"Maybe..." He allowed.

"What did Hermione say to you when you first met?"

He had to struggle for a few moments to realize what she was talking about. "She talked about the books my story was in."

"Is she talking about them now?" Cho was smiling – seeing that he was getting something.

"No."

"Do you think she forgot about those books the moment you became her friend?"

Harry nodded, slowly. "I think you are right... Are all Ravenclaws as smart as you?"

"Some of them." She laughed. "And I think I have just exhausted my reserves of wisdom for the day."

He matched her laughter as the song shifted to a slightly faster one. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The last dance was similar to the first one; the Weird Sisters playing their best music yet. His wolf was captivated by music as much as Harry was. It took him the whole evening to understand what did it mean to let go of everything and just dance.

He was holding Cho close, yet not too much, their movements were flowing with the music, the steps they took in perfect synchrony – his senses were at their height – every little scent or movement of hers helping him mach it perfectly. Her eyes were shining with excitement and her smile was making his heart beat to the rhythm of music.

He was slightly in awe that they were back at the centre of attention – yet, even as he saw where everyone was looking at and even could hear snippets of the conversations and whispers about them, he ignored most of it – he was dancing with Cho. And she was the only one he cared for.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

They were slowly walking up to Ravenclaw Tower. There was a steady current of students moving along with them, yet most of the students seemed to be disinterested with others – they had their own dates to talk with. It took Harry almost no effort to ignore the scents and pieces of silent conversations he was overhearing.

"Thank you." Cho breathed out, holding his hand strongly. He could feel her heartbeat through the touch. Slightly uneven, as if she was scared. "It was... all I hoped for..."

"It was the same for me." He agreed, his wolf strolling confidently before them, the tail swinging to the rhythm of his heartbeat. "Thank you for agreeing to go with me..."

"You're welcome." They stopped on the stairs a few steps before the entrance. She met his gaze, and took his other hand. "And the last dance... It was something else. I only wish it was longer."

He reddened, trying to find some words to answer... Her smile changed into a determined grin, and the next time he blinked, her lips touched his.

It was a soft, innocent kiss – but still, Harry almost fell over, overwhelmed by the sudden wave of cinnamon; it appeared the numbing potion had stopped working. He didn't know whether it took them seconds or minutes to break apart, but when they did, he could still feel the warmth of her breath, and the sweet, yet slightly bitter taste of her lips.

Their breathing was uneven and the hearts were beating to a strange and cheerful tune. Harry was gaping at her like a fish, and she was smiling a beautiful smile, one that seemed to reach the deeps of his heart. He didn't even notice her hands sliding slowly out of his.

"Thank you, Harry." She waved at him, her words echoing in his mind.

Harry managed a weak wave back, and she disappeared behind the door, leaving him standing there for quite a few more minutes, gaping at the space where she had been just a few seconds ago, where the warmth and cinnamon still lingered behind.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

It probably took him hours to reach the common room, yet there, he was quickly yanked back to reality.

"Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"

He rushed up to the fat lady and told her the password, entering the room only to see Hermione running up the girl dormitory stairs.

Ron was gaping like a fish out of the water and a furious Ginny was shouting at him.

"...completely missed the point..." Ron was muttering.

"What is it with you today?" Ginny shoved her brother, forcing him to face her straight. "Why can't you be happy for your friends one time?"

"But..." Ron almost started to argue, but then went silent as he saw Harry staring at them over Ginny's head. "Harry..." he breathed out.

"Harry deserves every good second he gets!"

"No," Ron shuffled his legs uncomfortably. "He's here."

Ginny turned around and jumped back. "Harry."

Harry was still staring at two siblings.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that." She managed. "Ron is being a prat."

"I could have head you from the Great Hall," he smiled at them, his good mood still wining, "maybe you could continue it in the morning?"

Ginny laughed, with a slightly fake laughter. "That good of an evening..."

Harry let his gaze fall down, embarassed.

"Is it true?" Ron piped in; ignoring the glare Ginny sent his way that very second. "Are you going to play Krum?"

"Yes." Harry shrugged. "Have no idea how did that happen, though."

"I hope you win."

Ginny swatted him on his left arm. "You want it only because Hermione went with him."

Harry sighed. "Ron... Grow up."

Ron raised his hands over his head, looked at his sister, found no solace there, dropped them down like logs and just left towards the boy's staircase, mumbling along the way.

"And Ron?" Harry shouted after him. "I can hear you perfectly."

There was silence for a few seconds.

"Sorry." Ginny sat down near the fireplace. "I hope we didn't ruin the evening."

Harry smiled. "I don't think even Voldemort could."

Ginny shivered – it shouldn't have been noticeable, yet Harry did notice. "Sorry. I forget sometimes."

She blinked a few times, but nodded.

"How was your date?" Harry asked, genuinely curious and just wanting to change the topic quickly.

It appeared that it wasn't the best choice, though. "Fine. I'm really tired... Going to head right to bed." She got up, and forced a yawn.

Harry shrugged. "Good night."

She waved at him, slightly alike Cho, which made Harry miss the strong scent of cinnamon in the air. Still, he had enough on him to recall her and the whole evening.

"Harry..." there came a silent whisper from the girl's stairs, one only his acute hearing could pick up.

"Yes?" He was already prepared to go and sleep himself, yet Ginny's silent voice stopped him. The wolf was standing near him, looking at her.

"Don't blame Ron too much. He will understand." Still, barely above a whisper. "And I'm glad you had a good time. I did too." She took a deep breath. "Neville was a gentleman." With that, she disappeared, yet Harry could hear her silent steps echoing up in the dormitories.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

As he was trying to fall asleep, his thoughts didn't hold unto Ron – he could hear the redhead snoring in the nearby bed, he could smell a lingering trace of Ginny's strawberries on Neville, yet, his thoughts weren't there.

He wasn't even thinking of Cho. He didn't need to – he had the dress robes folded and placed onto the nearby trunk, so that he could sleep feeling traces of her scent towering above others. It was something he probably wouldn't admit to anyone even under torture. It felt like she was nearby, and that made him content to thing about something else.

About the things she said.

About the wolf.

The one curled under the bed, breathing lightly.

He rolled to the side and let his hand fall down on the floor. He traced fingers on the carpet, as if stroking someone's hair.

Then, Harry stilled for a second, waiting.

Something warm touched his palm. He almost jumped out of surprise. It was a warm, dark tip of the muzzle. He moved his hand up, stoking lightly along the way, reaching as far up as it's ear...

He blinked. Was he still stroking the carpet, or had he really... Touched it?

It. Him.

He rolled back onto his back and raised his hand in the air. He clenched his fingers into a tight fist and released them. His hand looked completely human. _There are no foolproof ways to distinguish a werewolf from another man in his human form._ Remus was there for him. His pack was always with him, not minding the problems he had.

He rolled to the side, took in a last breath of cinnamon and fell asleep.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"So?" Harry prompted Ron. "What's the problem with giants?"

"Well, they're… they're…" Ron gulped, and struggled for words. "People fear them. Giants are violent by nature..."

Harry opened his mouth to respond but Ron continued quickly, "I am not saying that Hagrid is bad, but it's even worse than your... I mean... I understand why Hagrid was hiding it."

"So, you just overheard him talking about it?"

"Well... We went for a walk, and he was talking a bit too loud..."

"Who else heard?"

"Ginny, Luna and Neville," Hermione piped in. "Ginny told me yesterday."

Ron and Hermione seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement not to discuss their argument. They were being quite friendly to each other, though oddly formal.

"Well, I thought he must be," she said, shrugging. "I knew he couldn't be pure giant because they're about twenty feet tall. But honestly, all this hysteria about giants. They can't all be horrible… It's the same sort of prejudice that people have toward werewolves… It's just bigotry, isn't it?"

"Maybe." Ron allowed. "I don't know, but my dad told me many stories..."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

It was time now to think of the homework they had neglected during the first week of the holidays. Now, that the Christmas was over, everyone were trying to catch up with what they had missed. Harry, however, had most of his thoughts about the egg – even if he had a good idea how to finally solve the puzzle, he believed that there was something more to it, than just simply submerging it.

He was proved mostly wrong, when he used a sink to drown the egg. He heard a chorus of eerie voices singing to him from the open egg in his hands. He even had to get his head wet, to hear it properly – as it was audible without submerging an ear, doing so cleared up the words.

"I've got to go and look for people who can't use their voices above the ground…" he said slowly. "In Hogwarts lake..." There were no instant ideas – he didn't know all the inhabitants of the lake beside the giant squid, and he was pretty sure the squid couldn't sing.

Harry sighed and listened to the song a few more times, to memorise it better. However, he noticed the wolf getting all worked up - _We've taken what you'll sorely miss_ – it appeared that it might have been about his **pack**. Would Dumbledore really allow something to happen with people?_ It's gone, it won't come back. _Harry snarled at the invisible singers. Maybe they would take some possession of his? Firebolt or... the album with his parents pictures?

He cursed silently – he shouldn't be focusing on what they would take, but on how to get it back...

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Cho!" He called, making her stop, and turn to him, smile plastered on her face.

His hands were full, so he didn't wave before quickly walking up to her.

"What's with the heavy books?" she asked.

He glanced down, as if noticing them for the first time. "Oh... I took a few books from the library; it's for the second task."

"I'm sure you'll be the first one this time." She glanced at the cover of one of them. "It's about water creatures?"

"Yes..." He trailed off for a second. "I was going to ask Hermione, but... Do you know who could live in the Black Lake and sing?"

"Merpeople – Marietta mentioned that Cedric was reading about them – he even enlisted her to help." Cho gestured at the distinct lack of the Redish-Blond haired girl's company nearby.

"Wasn't she supposed to keep that a secret for Diggory?"

"I'm sure he doesn't mind."

Harry sighed. "So, I'll just head back and put half of these back."

"Need some company?"

He laughed, happily. "Now all I need is some way to breathe underwater, and I'm set for the task."

Cho scratched her bracelet. Harry noticed that she almost never took it off. It appeared that she soon had an idea, as she laughed suddenly. "There is a bubble-head charm. It's a little complicated, but could be a solution if you pull it off."

"Overheard that from Marietta, too?"

"Harry." She swatted his arm playfully. "I'm a Ravenclaw."

"Sorry." He nodded. "I'll try to remember it."

"You know, I forgot to ask at the ball..." She started after they started moving towards the Library. "What else have you got for Christmas?"

They talked presents for quite some time.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

It was almost no time till the new term began.

Snow was still thick upon the grounds, and the greenhouse windows were covered in condensation so thick that they couldn't see out of them in Herbology. Nobody was looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures much in this weather, though as Ron said, the skrewts would probably warm them up nicely, either by chasing them, or blasting off so forcefully that Hagrid's cabin would catch fire. Harry's wolf, however, was glad to be outside at any weather, so he really didn't mind that much, even if the skrewts would chase him.

When they arrived at Hagrid 's cabin, however, they found an elderly witch with closely cropped gray hair and a very prominent chin standing before his front door.

"Hurry up, now, the bell rang five minutes ago," she barked at them as they struggled toward her through the snow.

"Who're you?" said Ron, staring at her. "Where's Hagrid?"

"My name is Professor Grubbly-Plank," she said briskly. "I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher."

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry repeated lauder, sniffing the air.

"He is indisposed," said Professor Grubbly-Plank shortly.

"He's in the cabin." Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione. "Maybe he's sick."

Soft and unpleasant laughter ran behind them – Slytherins were joining the class. The glee in Malfoy's eyes died as soon as he met Harry's gaze.

They followed the Professor, giving glances to Hagrid's cabin over their shoulders – the curtains were closed, but Harry was almost sure that Hagrid was glancing at them through the small gap on the side. It was sad that he would have to be alone – Harry figured they should pay a visit soon.

"What's wrong with Hagrid?" Harry said, hurrying to catch up with Professor Grubbly-Plank. "What is he down with?"

"Never you mind," she said as though she thought he was being nosy.

"I do mind, though," said Harry hotly. However, noticing that he wouldn't get any answers from her, he just growled and let it go.

His anger was probably cough on by the unicorn as it started to look really uncomfortable with Harry's presence. The Professor quickly shoved every boy, including Harry away from the beautiful creature, allowing only the girls to approach it.

The moment Professor Grubbly-Plank was out of earshot. Harry turned to Draco.

"You know something." He hissed through his clenched teeth. "Don't you, Malfoy?"

"He wasn't attacked, Potter, if that's what you're thinking. He's too..." Draco gulped seeing Harry's expression.

"Malfoy." It came out as a low growl. "Speak."

"Here," he finally gave up, putting his hand inside the pocket of his robes and pulled out a folded page of newsprint.

He flinched as Harry snatched the page, and took a few steps back. Harry unfolded the page and read it, with every Gryffindor boy looking over his shoulder.

"I'm going to kill Rita." He growled, and pushed the page into Ron's hands. He turned to Crabbe, who was sniggering, apparently very pleased with himself. "This is rubbish – flobberworms don't even have teeth!"

"Are you paying attention over there?" Professor Grubbly-Planks voice carried over to the boys.

"No." Harry spat back, and strolled back, towards Hagrid's hut.

She blinked at his outrage, took twenty points of Gryffindor, but didn't pursue him. He figured he would have a detention as well for not turning back, but he didn't care. Neither Ron nor Hermione dared to follow him, yet it was apparent that they wanted to.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Hagrid!" He shouted, pounding on his front door. "Hagrid, I know you're in here! Open the bloody door! Don't you dare to hide! Hagrid, don't do this to..." The door didn't open. "I can hear you on the other side!" Hagrid shuffled inside, probably sat back on the chair. "Hagrid!"

After good twenty minutes of hitting the door and shouting, Harry sighed and took out the knife Sirius gave him. "Hagrid, I don't care that you don't want to see me. I'm coming in."

It took him two more minutes to open the door, mostly because he had to figure out how to use the knife properly. He entered and quickly closed them again with a bang, making Hagrid look up from the table.

Hagrid, looking like a mess, just blinked and Harry was already standing opposite to him.

It reeked of salt, grief and pain. Also, there was a mug of tea, already cold and untouched, it's slightly sour aroma was making Harry calm down a little. A familiar paper on the table, soaked with both tea and tears didn't help, though. Hagrid's face was blotchy, his eyes swollen, and his hair slightly more unruly than usually. Also, Hagrid was staring at Harry in disbelief, his eyes still wet with tears.

"Hagrid," said Harry, pain evident in his voice. "I have something to tell you."

Hagrid opened his mouth, but Harry beat him to it.

"Just... Listen. I don't care if I'm missing a lesson – you were supposed to be giving it."

"None of 'em wan me ter stay."

"I want you to stay. Hermione and Ron do. They would be here, telling you that, all of it – that people want you to stay, and that you shouldn't let one bad article get you down."

"Yeh - yeh're not half-giant!" said Hagrid croakily.

"I'm a bloody werewolf!" Harry shouted back, his voice shaking. "Don't tell me I don't know what is going to happen when they find out!"

Hagrid was gaping like a fish. A very large fish.

"And I fear that moment." He continued, silently, pouring words one after another. "I'm afraid they will turn their backs on me. Do you remember when in my second year, I couldn't walk two steps without the whispers? I recon this is going to be worse. But I have to deal with it. We have to. Because there are people who care for **us**, and not for the silly fears others have."

Hagrid din't move one bit.

"You don't run from a piece of yourself like that. You need to accept it. I need to accept it." He paused for a breath. "Come back and teach, Hagrid."

"Yer a werewolf?"

"Yes. I should have told you sooner." He scratched his hand, noticing that it was slightly swollen from all the hits on the door. "Slipped my mind."

After a few minutes they were joined with Ron and Hermione. Needless to say, they missed lunch that day.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter has a few chunks taken directly from Rowling's Goblet of Fire. I didn't mark them as not to break the flow.<p> 


	17. The Forest

**Disclaimer**: Everyone knows its Rowling's fault.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XVII

The Forest

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

_He was running through the silent forest. His light paws made almost no sound at all, leaving only footprints in the snow. The moon was shining through the branches, calling him further the path. He could smell somebody familiar getting nearer. It was a scent of a pack._

_Not of his pack, though._

_He stopped suddenly, on a small hill, covered with bare bushes and piles of snow. There was someone or something hiding in there. Glittering yellow eyes met his green ones. A wolf. It growled, warning him._

_He started stepping backwards – there was another wolf at his side. A grey one, barely visible in the snow._

_He ran. They followed, snarling._

_Snow was cold, and there were tricky places, where one's paw could get stuck, but he almost felt where he could and couldn't move._

_A jump, over huge fallen tree, and he was standing on... ice?_

_The wolves following him stopped in their tracks. He did too, as there was a silent crack under him. It reeked of water and fish. Slowly, he picked up one paw and moved it forward. Crack. Another step. Crack. He prepared to jump and..._

_He was human again, struggling underwater to breathe, cold water almost making his heat stop. He tried to swim, but..._

He fell out of the bed, and hit the floor quite painfully. At least it was a silent fall, and his yelp didn't wake anybody up. Ron was snoring silently.

Outside the window, through the small gap, cold air was pouring slowly in. Together with it, the scent of the forest and... Wolves were howling far in the distance.

He felt his own wolf's urge to howl, to run outside and hunt. Harry had to sit back on the bed and grip his arms together to fight it back. The ghost of the wolf was away – at least he had that.

After tem more minutes, he knew, he couldn't fall asleep – there was no way with the forest so near. And closing the window would make it worse – the air would quickly turn stale and artificial – of course, magic would make it almost fresh, yet, he knew he could tell the difference.

Should he go outside?

In the end, he contented his wolf by sitting silently in the common room and watching the fire burn.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Someone poked him in the side and he jumped up from the couch, half-awake, a growl rising behind his teeth.

"Good morning." Ginny smiled at him. "You should probably go upstairs, or others will see you too." She was already dressed for the day, apparently having woken up quite early.

He smiled at her. "At least I fell asleep."

"Nightmares?"

He nodded, taking in the scents of the Gryffindor tower – people were waking up one after another, and soon someone beside Ginny would turn up too. He looked down to see he was wearing only his pyjamas, and started running upstairs, followed by Ginny's quiet laughter.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" He asked Ginny absent-mindedly, as he was both eating and throwing glances at Cho's direction.

"What?" she muttered, a light blush creeping on her face.

"You had been there for about an hour, right?" he clarified after a few bites.

"I..." She took a huge gulp from the nearest drink, slowly, trying to stall for time. "I didn't notice you there at first."

He nodded, almost content with her answer, and continued with the breakfast as if nothing had happened.

Ginny slowly exhaled, and shuffled closer to Hermione, starting a silent conversation about Hagrid. Apparently, Harry's oldest friend was still deciding, but they were almost sure that he would return to the lessons next week. Ginny agreed to pay Hagrid a visit too, if he went back on his word.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He let her sneak up on him and wrap her arms around his neck. His wolf saw her every move, but didn't growl.

"Hello." Her voice whispered into his ear, pushing more of her scent towards him. "Have you slept well?"

"Yes," Harry lied, but this kind of lie couldn't hurt, could it? "Almost perfectly. And...?"

She released him, her breath brushing past his ear. "I dreamt about you."

He didn't exactly know how to react to that, so he nodded, turning to face her. Cho was slightly red in the face.

"We talked so much about your task, that I dreamt you diving in the lake."

"I'm still struggling with the Bubble-Head Charm..."

"Don't worry," she ruffled his hair very gently, "you have ages till the task."

"I'm still not sure about it..." Harry admitted. "I never had a chance to learn to swim decently and even with a charm, I'm not sure that I will find whatever place I need."

She rolled her eyes. "I still think you'll win the tournament. You should relax more."

"Everyone keeps telling me that." He sighed. "I mean... they tell me not to worry, not about my chances of winning. Well Hagrid said that I would, but I don't know it that counts..."

"Everyone knows you will win." She laughed silently at his expression to that statement. "How is Hagrid? I still haven't met him. And you promised I would..."

"I don't really think he's..." Harry froze, and changed his mind. "I think he would thank for the company, but you have to understand that it's a hard time for him."

"I know," she nodded, enthusiastically. "I'm not going to judge him, just because he's different from us."

"Maybe we could go see him in the evening. Would you like to go just with me, or should I call Ron and Hermione too...?"

"It doesn't matter," Cho said, "how come are they even talking?"

Harry blinked, because of a sudden shift in the conversation. "Well, they are not bickering even a little, and it really is strange, but somehow they manage..."

"How is Hermione with Krum?"

"Honestly?" Harry shrugged. "I haven't got an idea if she met him after the ball."

Cho looked thoughtful. "Well, the rumour is that he asked her to go with him on the next Hogsmeade weekend, but I think it's not true, because I haven't seen Durmstrang students there at all..."

"I don't really know..."

She looked disappointed for a second.

Then, he finally got it. "Cho?"

"Yes?"

"Would you like to go to the Hogsmeade with me?"

"Of course," she kissed him on the cheek, "I'd love to."

He smiled a goofy grin, but then remembered the date of the visit, and the smile was gone.

"Harry?" her expression grew concerned.

"I'm sorry, I forgot..." He was struggling to find an excuse. "I have a remedial potion session on that evening...I'm still available for the most of the day, and I really really want to go with you."

She laughed. "And I was afraid it was something more serious."

He smiled a fake smile. "Are you still up for it?"

"Visiting Hogsmeade or Hagrid?"

"Both."

"I said I would go. We'll go."

He hugged her, lightly, carefully. "Thank you."

The scent of cinnamon and her beating heart were the answers he got.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry and Cho left the castle together on Saturday and set off through cold, wet grounds towards the gates. The wolf was absent, yet Harry felt him deep inside, watching everything, listening. The lake reminded him of the looming task. There was Krum's iron scent, preparing to...

Harry raised his gaze from Cho and focused on the Durmstrang ship, moored in the lake. Cho followed his gaze and they both saw Viktor Krum emerge onto the deck, dressed in nothing but swimming trunks.

He was very skinny indeed, but apparently a lot tougher than he looked, because he climbed up onto the side of the ship, stretched out his arms, and dived, right into the lake.

"He's mad!" Harry shuddered visibly. "It must be freezing, it's January!"

Cho grinned mishievously. "I take it you aren't going to practice before the task?"

"Maybe when it's warmer." Harry was visibly **fearing** the moment he would have to submerge.

"Don't like the cold?"

_The water of the lake, swallowing him up, it's cold making his heat stop..._

"No." His eyes glittered with primal fear for a brief second. "Not really."

"You could always cast a warming charm or two."

He laughed; the laughter was only slightly fake. "I'll wait till I can cast the charm properly, thank you."

"Suit yourself." She lightly tapped his nose. "Afraid to get wet."

He sighed. "I'll have to, though."

"Don't worry – you'll win." She laughed lightly alike the wind playing with the snow. "Even Hagrid said so, remember?."

He shuffled uncomfortably, slightly embarrassed form the praise. She took his hand and he relaxed.

"Did you like him?" he whispered to the wind.

"Hagrid?" She held his hand firmer. "He's kind."

"Even when he..." This time, his whisper was inaudible to her.

"I liked him." She admitted. "I understand why you hold him as your friend."

Introducing Cho to Hagrid had been very strange for Harry. Mostly because he had feared that Hagrid would let slip of his condition, or, he hadn't known what scared him more, Hagrid wouldn't like Cho.

Harry grinned and nodded. "Thank you."

Apparently, his fears had been unfounded – he remembered Cho being careful and respectful, and that had come as a surprise for Hagrid.

"It was my pleasure, really. And he has really good tea."

"And inedible rock cakes."

"You did eat a few."

"I was hungry, it doesn't count. And I couldn't say no..."

She giggled. "Do Ron and Hermione sacrifice their teeth too?"

He nodded. "We just can't bring it up properly..."

Her laugh and the aroma of cinnamon both danced in the wind all the way down the slushy High Street.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

After a quick trip, visiting a few shops, they ended up in the Three Broomsticks. There, they settled at one of the small tables, and after laying the warm clothes on the chairs, Harry went up to the bar, to bring a few butterbeers for them.

The pub was as crowded as ever, and the scents told him that somewhere in the crowd there was Cedric with Marietta and Luna with Neville and Ginny. Also – Ludo Bagman was arguing with something that reeked of gold and greed. He didn't really have lots of experience with greed's scent, but he figured if he had to guess he wouldn't be far off. That probably meant goblins.

He sat down, and pointed them to Cho – from this angle they could see Ludo talking with someone in the mirror behind the bar.

"Ludo? He's hardly ever working, isn't he?" Cho smiled. "My mother said he's always somewhere else when you need him."

Harry tried to distinguish what was being said in between the chatter. It was difficult as the scents and other conversations were distracting him. "owe... return... promise... Harry Potter..."

"Harry?" Cho was looking at his face, concerned.

He quickly caught himself and tried to relax his face. "Sorry... It's just... Ludo was trying to help me before the first task... And he looks really strained now."

"Come on, Ludo's harmless..."

"I just... I can almost tell he is talking about me."

She took his hands again. "Harry, people do talk about you a lot – you are the Champion and the Boy-Who-Lived."

"I know..." He couldn't catch the words anymore. "It's just I don't think it's the usual conversation going on there."

"Were he not a judge, I'd guess he was betting on you to win."

He laughed. "I wouldn't bet on myself."

She gave him a mocking stare.

"Alright, I give in." He interlocked fingers with her, calming down. "I will win."

"You will," she whispered.

As if on cue, Ludo, apparently having seen them from the same mirror, was approaching. The goblins tried to halt him, but he waved them off. "In a moment, in a moment!"

His boyish grin was back in place as he waved to them. "Harry!" he said, his gaze jumping on the interlocked hands on the table. "Miss..." He struggled to remember the name...

"Chang."

"Yes, Miss Chang, I remember you - your dance was very captivating."

They both were waiting for him to finish and leave, so they didn't comment even if deep down they were happy with the praise.

Ludo stayed persistent, though. "Miss Chang, would you mind if I spoke to Harry alone?"

They exchanged a silent glance between them, and Harry took a deep breath. Interfering with the little time he had till the dark... Only Cho's warm hand held his rage bottled up inside.

"Whatever you want, you can say with her present."

He felt Cho's heartbeat increase with his words.

"Well, I just thought I'd congratulate you again on your splendid performance against that Horntail, Harry," said Bagman. "Really superb."

"Thanks," said Harry, continuing to suppress the annoyance.

Ludo swayed in place, thinking. Cho was watching him with a hint of amusement in her expression.

"Is there any breakthrough with the puzzle?" He winked at both of them, finally having decided.

"Maybe." Harry allowed.

Bagman smiled, like he had just won a Galleon Draw. "Good - you were thrown into this tournament, you didn't volunteer for it… and if..."

"Could you hurry up?" Harry's wolf was growling inside. "I would really like to get back to the date."

"Of course - I understand." Ludo bowed his head apologetically. "I see that you have figured out who the clue is about, so I won't hold you up anymore..."

He turned to leave, but then noticed the Weasley twins and paled.

"Hello, Mr. Bagman," said Fred brightly. "Can we buy you a drink?"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

As they were drinking their second bottle of butterbeer, Harry smelled the reek of Skeeter. Cho turned to face the doorway, as she noticed the disgust in Harry's face. Harry started grinding his teeth as Cho sighed.

Rita Skeeter had just entered. She was wearing banana-yellow robes today; her long nails were painted shocking pink, and she was accompanied by her paunchy photographer. She bought drinks, and she and the photographer made their way through the crowds to a table nearby.

Harry stood up, anger boiling in his veins. The wolf howled inside - a howl before the hunt. **Enemy**.

Cho tried to calm him down, but it didn't help as much as it did before, as Ludo was just an annoyance, but Skeeter... Harry could feel his teeth grinding, and almost felt them grow bigger and sharper. There was a familiar pain building up deep inside...

It was but a few hours till the night, and... _We change on only one night of the full moon. _He wouldn't change for a few hours. He wouldn't. Harry was repeating Remus' words in his mind. _We change on only one night of the full moon._

Sirius had told him to go and have a good time, but he hadn't even dreamed that he would run into Rita – and she had hurt Hagrid. She hurt his **pack**.

"...Harry!" Cho was clinging to his arm, confused of his sudden anger.

"She... HURT HAGRID!"

The whole pub turned to Harry, including Rita herself.

"What did you do that to Hagrid for? " Harry managed to get the growl down, but his voice hung in the air like an iron cage. "No one cares that he is half-giant! There's nothing wrong with him! "

Rita Skeeter's smile flickered very slightly, but she hitched it back almost at once; she snapped open her crocodile-skin handbag, pulled out her Quick-Quotes Quill, and said, tickling Harry's anger even more. "How about giving me an interview about the Hagrid you know, Harry? The man behind the muscles? Your unlikely friendship and the reasons behind it. Would you call him a father substitute?"

He turned his face slightly towards the calming scent of cinnamon, and took a deep breath. It didn't help one bit. "Please, Cho, let me go." His voice was slightly distant with the hint of a snarl, barely above a whisper. "I'm going to kill her."

The bar fell completely silent.

Rita opened her mouth to say something, but saw Harry's eyes, and paled.

Harry was breathing heavily, trying to lose himself in the cinnamon, concentrating on the soothing touch of her hand, but he was sure – if Rita wouldn't leave **soon**, or, if Cho released him, he would jump and start tearing her to pieces, one for each tear Hagrid had shed because of her.

Rita turned over the heel, and ran, apparently not taking her chances.

Still, he could still feel the trail of her path, and probably could catch her if...

He shook his head...

"Harry? Are you alright?" asked Cho, alongside the returning tide of chatter.

"I'm..." His neck and forehead were sweating - the change was hours away, but he was losing control.

"Thank you for stopping me." He muttered.

She put her hand to his forehead, noticing that he was trembling. "You're burning."

Harry was breathing fast, as if he had been running a marathon.

"You should go to the hospital wing..."

"Maybe..." Harry grabbed the idea like a saving raft and nodded. "Alright. I'm running back to the castle."

He took a few steps, her hand still holding his.

"I could take you there."

"Don't spoil your day, just because I feel... under the weather."

He really did have to run – his heart was pounding in his chest, his anger wanting to force him run after the slowly fading trail of his **prey**. He had to run as far away from her as he could. It wasn't safe for anyone.

"It's not..."

"Look, I'm not sure I have time to dally." He lowered his hand to touch his stomach. He didn't have to twist his face, as he felt the pain building up. "I'm sorry to cut this short." He slipped away from her grip. "We'll talk tomorrow."

He broke into run, darting between the students and other pub visitors.

"At least you'll escape from remedial potions," she whispered, smile gone from her face. "Why are you trying to escape me today...?"

He was already outside when he heard her finish. She had said it so silently he wouldn't have caught it, had he not been trying to concentrate on her cinnamon scent and the sounds of her heartbeat and breaths. He almost stumbled and turned back, but then he realized that the tremors were shaking him already. He was running out of time.

"Too early..." He muttered. "Too early..."

He ran away from Hogsmeade as fast as he could, heart pounding in his chest. Where did he have to turn? Hogwarts?

What if Remus had been wrong? There would be students there... Where could he run to? Remus? He could only smell old traces of the man. Sirius? He didn't even know if Sirius would arrive, because he had seen Harry a few times before the ball.

Headmaster? The scents pointed that Albus Dumbledore had left through the Hogsmeade in midday, but hadn't yet returned. Unless he arrived from somewhere else. Could he really try and go into the castle?

Harry hesitated, breething deeply and trying to calm his own panic. Mabe he could risk a dash towards Headmaster's office, through the students and the aroma of their meat? Harry shook his head. He would try it...

**Malfoy!**

Malfoy was almost in the castle already, probably just heading back a little earlier, but... Harry tried to stop growling, but he just couldn't. He barely managed to hold himself from giving chase to his **prey**.

No, it was too dangerous to even enter the castle now.

Hagrid. Harry had decided - it was the safest option - he ran quickly, taking care to avoid the few students outside.

Soon, Harry found himself knocking on the heavy door of Hagrid's. Hagrid wasn't home, but the door was unlocked. Harry cursed and bit his lip. The taste of his own blood was bitter. The pain was building up everywhere and he was trying to push it away, biting himself didn't help much. Fang was around prowling slowly on the floor, yet it looked like the dog wanted to get as far away from Harry as possible.

He just sighed, and tried to reign in the forever present fear.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

It was slowly getting darker, and Hatrid's hut felt small, restricting. Harry was trying to think, but thoughts were slow, clumsy, and every move reminded him of the comming pain. He took out his wand, trying to find peace with the smooth touch, but... The wand felt right and wrong at the same time. Harry almost could hear the phoenix song in the distance. It was soothing, but his wolf didn't like it one bit.

To stop the inner struggle, he placed the wand on the table. The song disappeared, as did the phoenix' presence.

But something... else was approaching. Familiar, yet different from him altogether. Fang gave out a surprised yelp and retreated even further from Harry than before. Probably Harry's nervousness had increased its fear even more.

The new scent persisted, similar, yet... Finally, he realized the nearby watcher for what it was - a wolf. A real one, who was really close, listening, sniffing, watching, waiting. Intrigued by werewolf's scent, drawn by Harry's presence on the eve of the full moon.

He did smell both as a man and a beast at the same time. Add the scent of the wind, the drop of his blood, and he was a mystery the brave and foolish wolf was trying to explore.

Harry took a few breaths. What was the time? He shouldn't have been trying to understand the nearby wolf - his own one wanted to, though.

He should be thinking on how to get locked far away from everyone. Did he have hours, or will the moon affect him any minute?

He started going through the pockets, but he had nothing of value or importance – the wand was already placed on the table, and a small handful of coins joined it. He took the watch off and placed in on the table near the wand – there – he was ready for the occasion that he would change too soon.

And then, when his wolf was prepared to risk darting into the Forbidden Forest alone, when he bit down his lip another time, when his nostrils were filled with scent of his own blood, help arrived. At first it was just a silver phoenix Patronus, that appeared mid air, floating before him and warming his heart. What it spoke, however didn't help much. It was the Headmasters voice, very silent and barely audible - perhaps he tried to make the message as silent as possible, to account for the possibility that Harry wasn't alone:

"Harry, you need to return to the castle grounds. I cannot send Fawkes to take you - you should try it on your own. Make haste."

Had he known the modified Patronus charm he would have replied with a plea for help - he felt like he couldn't make it into Hogwarts without hurting anyone, much less their usual classroom.

He probably looked broken and afraid as never before, when Sirius found him. Apparently, not caring about the dangers of someone seeing him Padfoot shifted into human form.

"Harry!" Sirius looked at him with concern. "You're alright! Why are you here?"

"I'm not." Harry felt his hands twitch slightly, and continued in a shaking voice. "I'm going to change soon – Sirius, what should I do?"

"What?" His godfather almost jumped. "But it should be safe for another hour at least..."

Harry twitched again, his whole body shaking even more visibly than before. He had to bite down on his lip again, to stop himself from shouting.

Sirius cursed. "The forest. We'll go into the forest."

"There's wolves." Harry managed through clenched teeth. However, he wasn't so sure about it – it appeared the beast had retreated when Sirius showed up.

"I'm not scared of a few weak wolves." Sirius barked out a short, fake laugh. "Now go, I'm right behind you."

Shaking, Harry took a few careful steps, and started running. His breathing was heavy, and each jump hurt, but he was heading away from Hogwarts, and Sirius was beside him.

"...Patronus..." Harry's godfather was mumbling something in between the breaths. "Yeah... happy memories..."

"What?" Harry managed a question – speaking was getting more and more difficult by the second.

"I can't cast the Patronus to send the message," Sirius explained. "Azkaban does that to people."

Harry nodded, even when Sirius probably wasn't paying enough attention to notice – his godfather was occupied looking around, searching for any danger in their way.

They ran for a few more minutes, in a mad dash through the forest. Harry's face was grazed by stray branches in a few places and Sirius had hit his shoulder into a tree while looking at the other side.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He was running through _the silent forest_. It was hard to distinguish between the vision and reality. His godfather was somewhere near, but he couldn't get a good look, either way. Harry's wolf, before barely a shade and now visible brighter and clearer than ever, was nearby, watching.

Then – it started.

He fell, face down to earth, and started screaming.

Sirius, knowing that it had begun, shifted his form and stood guard nearby.

Harry was thrashing around tearing at his clothes, his nails digging into the skin and drawing blood. His skin was burning with pain, the bones were already fracturing. The scream turned into the howl.

He had to fight the wolf? How – this time it felt even more painful than before?

Padfoot joined the howl, as did a few distant howls in the forest. Harry could feel the howl reach him, trying to ease his pain. For handful of seconds it even helped.

The remains of his school robes torn to shreds, Harry realized that it was finally over.

His wolf was in control.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter has a few scenes taken directly from Rowling's Goblet of Fire. I didn't mark them as not to break the flow.<p> 


	18. The Tear

**Disclaimer**: Rowling is haunting the Potter family.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XVIII

The Tear

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Cho was standing in the Three Broomsticks, slightly confused. Harry was behaving strange, and she had no idea why. The possibility of him not liking her and trying to evade the talk about it... was very small, unless she couldn't read him at all. So what was it, that he grabbed the first excuse to run ahead alone?

Maybe he feared to be late to Snape's remedial lesson, even with his illness? That might even explain the haste - he didn't want to stay long at the hospital wing, and rushed, hoping to manage doing everything.

She shook her head slightly, and started slowly walking towards the castle, some part of her hoping that Harry was still at the hospital wing, and she could, at least, visit him.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Ms. Chang." A cold voice stopped her near the hospital wing doors.

"Professor." She nodded her head slightly. Snape was still not in his dungeons, so it meant that Harry's remedial potions hadn't started yet.

"Why..." the professor started slowly, his gaze trying to pierce her eyes. "Are you not outside with your classmates?"

"I," she stuttered under the glare, "wanted to visit a friend in the wing, sir."

Snape, almost having turned to leave, froze, his eyes not leaving hers.

"You should choose your **friends** more carefully, Ms. Chang."

She gulped.

He continued to ignore her discomfort. "Although, you won't find Mr. Potter in the Hospital Wing anymore."

She blinked. "Why?"

"So, your so called **friend**, didn't tell you?"

"I'm sorry?" she began, a hint of anger appearing in her voice. "With all due respect, sir, I think that's between me and Harry. And I do know that he has remedial lessons with you today." She finished barely in a whisper, "Lessons he doesn't even need."

"Next time, tell Mr. Potter that a slight fewer isn't going to help him escape his duties and isn't a reason to be late." Snape sneered. "Now excuse me, Miss Chang, I have some business with Madam Pomfrey, and after that, there's a dunderhead waiting for me in my classroom."

She was left gaping outside the door, both angry and surprised. Only the slam of the door woke her up from the daze.

She sighed, silently wishing Harry luck with the professor, and turned towards the Ravenclaw Tower.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Severus?" Headmaster raised his head slightly, up from the manuscript he was studying.

"It's Potter. Again." There was a hateful sneer. "We need to find him, and do so soon."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry trusted her. _My life is really messed up recently. _He wouldn't hide anything from her, would he? _I'll tell you when I can_... Cho was sprawled on a couch in the common room, her eyes measuring the ceiling.

She shouldn't have hurried to jump to any conclusions – as it always was with Harry, there probably was a good reason for his behaviour. Her irrational jealousy at Hermione was a perfect example... And, in the end, Snape didn't deny that Harry hadn't been in the Hospital Wing before she made it there.

So why was she trying to find a hint of the secret Harry carried inside? Should she even try to? _I'll tell you when I can_... She remembered his voice perfectly. He did mean to tell her something...

"Cho?"

She jumped at the sudden sound near her ear, her arm slipped, and she slid down on the carpet with a loud yelp.

As she finally realized what had happened, Marietta was already laughing at her, with a few others silently sniggering nearby.

"Please don't do that again," Cho said, embarrassed.

"Daydreaming, are you?"

Cho just shrugged, and climbed back on the comfortable couch.

"Have you just returned, too?" Marietta was smiling like it was Christmas again. "I'm going to grab Cedric's scarf, and we're going to look at the stars from the astronomy tower."

"Have fun." Some of her disappointment shone through, but Marietta didn't pay any heed to it.

"It's supposed to be a clear night, with the moon visible quite early. Many couples are going to try and sneak past Filch after curfew tonight..."

Cho sighed. _Would you like to watch them sometime, again? I'm going to miss the feeling._

"Why don't you ask Harry to join us? I doubt that Cedric would mind."

"He's with Professor Snape tonight."

Marietta coughed, slightly uncomfortable. "Again?"

"Yes," Cho whispered. "Again."

Marietta stood still for a moment. "Do you want me to talk with him?"

"It's not his fault." Cho was already getting tired with everything.

"Whatever you say." Marietta shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I've got to run."

Cho closed her eyes, and tried really hard not to think about anything.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Someone was talking about her. It was slightly too far for her to hear, but she heard her and Harry's name perfectly. And they didn't stop. "Harry... Cho... heard... Chang... Potter... Rita..."

She got up, slightly reluctantly, maybe he was already finished with Snape, or at least, it was late enough to justify her heading to bed.

"So, Cho, how's it going with Harry? Did he really threaten to off Skeeter?" Someone asked from behind, the voice a lot more pleasant than the words themselves.

She threw a small cushion at Roger and stormed out of the common room, but not before taking the scarf and gloves, she had left nearby before.

"Hey, Cho, I only meant it as a joke! Sorry!" Davies tried to stop her, but she didn't even spare a single glance back at him.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

She was standing near the spot they had been at the last time. It was already dark, ant the stars were showing – a really stunning night, and Cho wished, for the hundredth time that night, that Harry could have been with her. That Snape hadn't been the git he was. That everyone stopped reminding her, that she missed his presence this much.

Had he stayed with her till the late evening, or let her accompany him to the hospital wing...

She sighed again, and turned to leave, towards the castle – but there, in the distance of the Astronomy tower, she could almost imagine Marietta and Cedric standing near the edge, pointing at various stars, laughing.

Cho slumped on the nearby rock, the full moon shining from her eyes, alike from the lake just before her. The small waves were splashing at the lakeside... All sounds were doused by the howling wind, playing with her long black hair.

She sobbed a few times, a tear escaping her eyes, rushing down her cheek, and dropping down on the stone.

Something rustled nearby. A pair of eyes, gleaming out of the darkness.

Her heartbeat rising, she whipped out her wand, lighting the tip with bright, white light.

There, in a nearby bush, a dark form took a few steps back, startled. Its dark fur a mess, ruffled by branches and all scratched up. Its glinting eyes, gazing at the light on her wand tip with some kind of recognition. Unblinking, they were watching her with hidden madness, surprise and interest.

Then, seemingly followed by a swirl of wind, it disappeared, leaving her wondering if she had seen anything at all.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

That morning she woke up well rested, but also, quite confused – had she dreamed the glowing eyes, or was the wolf real? She knew that it was really rare for wolves to even approach humans, and unless it had been a werewolf...

She stilled, her heart skipping a beat. Could it have been a werewolf? It **was** the full moon that night. No - a werewolf would have attacked.

Or, just maybe, she dreamt of everything; the greenish eyes being a detail her mind added subconsciously, while thinking about Harry Potter. She laughed, waking Marietta up.

"Today is going to be a great day," she silently whispered a promise into the air. "I'm sure of it."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

His wolf was in control.

The howl of victory and freedom carried deep into the forest. After a few moments it echoed further, in the hidden depths – the other wolves were responding.

Harry, on the other hand, was unsure how he should feel – on one hand, it was another disappointing full moon, where he couldn't do a thing, and was doomed to allow the wolf full reign. On the other hand, he felt only physical pain – there was no inner struggle this moon, and the wolf had... accepted him?

Harry tried to feel his surroundings, and noticed Sirius, standing between him and the way towards Hogwarts. The black hound didn't look aggressive, but it was clear that Sirius would do anything to keep him away from hurting anyone. **Don't hurt my pack**. Harry tried to convey his thoughts as best as he could.

There was something of an acknowledgement from the wolf – as if he tried to say that he agreed not to go towards the school.

The howls stopped, letting silence fall everywhere. Padfoot was breathing heavily, while Harry became an embodiment of silence.

The wolf moved a few steps, away from the school grounds. Padfoot barked happily, and skipped towards him, trying to lick his muzzle. But the wolf simply jumped over the hound, and then, turning around, nudged him from the side.

Padfoot jumped back, and then ran a few steps further away. Harry urged the wolf to follow, but it wasn't necessary, as he gave in to Sirius' playfulness on his own.

Soon, the two shadows were making it further and further, and disappeared in the forest. Leaving only torn robes behind.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Then, he smelled it. The faint trail, but unmistakably the same – the curious wolf from before. And, through miles, a small hint in the wind. Cinnamon.

Both scents were converging together slowly.

The wolf stopped, as Harry was struggling to find a way to tell Sirius to run and check if...

Blood?

How did he miss it before?

It wasn't only his blood that he had noticed before. The wolf was injured too. It was mad from hunger, pain, and was nearing to... **Cho! **Harry tried to cry out, but it came out as a snarl, startling a confused Padfoot.

Harry took a long, hard stare at Sirius, but the hound's eyes didn't show any recognition. Sirius just couldn't understand. He couldn't realize why Harry was suddenly afraid. The stray mad wolf was a danger to someone he held dear at Hogwarts...

The wolf leaped over the hound, and started to dash forward as fast as possible.

Cinnamon.

Sirius, barking, gave chase.

Each second made him realize that he didn't imagine it – cinnamon was in the air, and he had to...

Sirius slammed into him, sending them both tumbling down.

A stray branch dug into Harry's side, drawing blood, and the wolf rose up furious. He had to reach...

Sirius slammed into him again, and prepared to jump back, hoping to be chased. This time, however, Harry couldn't help but lash out with his teeth, taking a small bite out of his godfather mid leap.

Without letting Padfoot regain control, the wolf bit fast as lightning, injuring the hound's leg. Sirius whined, but tried standing straight –with two wounds he wasn't in the best position to fight, but that didn't mean he wouldn't do his best. Sirius blinked and took a shaky step to the right.

But the werewolf didn't advance; it gave Sirius a pleading look and dashed away once more.

It took Sirius a few moments to realize that a werewolf was ignoring a challenge and a few more to run after Harry, trying his best to keep up.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Further along Harry's path, there were shades playing in the forest, created by the weak white light, shining from somewhere... Cho's light.

The wolf had scented him coming from afar and retreated into the forest. But neither Harry, nor his inner wolf was content with that. They advanced towards the mad wolf. It ran.

Had Harry been in control he would have laughed – after all these times of being pursued, finally he was the one **hunting**. However, as a true wolf, he started the hunt in silence.

His **prey** was sick. Maddened with venom, half blinded by fear. But the prey had threatened his **pack**. His **mate**.

Now, each jump was an influx of energy, each landing brought him closer. And closer.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

When Padfoot finally reached his godson, he had to stop in surprise yet again – while making haste through the forest, Sirius expected to find a stray student under assault of a werewolf, or one already bitten. He didn't expect to run into two wolves circling each other.

It even took him a second to realise which one was Harry – in the darkness, both looked similar, but the years of running next to werewolves helped him. After finding his godson, he started noticing the differences – the other wolf was in obvious pain, its fur of a lighter shade, its eyes glittering with the viridian trace of acromantula venom.

Then, without warning, Harry lashed out. There was a flash of white teeth in the moonlight, and the sick wolf recoiled, bleeding from its muzzle. Harry pressed on, a predator, a vengeful spirit. Fangs sink deep into the grey fur time and time again. When the sick opponent tried to bite back, his teeth found only air.

Fur was flying everywhere, blood was pouring on the cold ground, and steam was riding from it up in the sky.

When Sirius finally decided that he wouldn't interfere, there was a loud crunch, as Harry's fangs managed to pierce the throat of his opponent. There was a long but silent gurgle, and the wolf collapsed.

Only then did Harry turn to face Sirius. Black had seen many things, faced his fears for long thirteen years, but still flinched, seeing the werewolf's expression. The blood was everywhere, the fangs were shining in the moonlight, and the green eyes seemed to pierce through his soul, alike a killing curse.

Then, the wolf relaxed, his gaze shifted into one of recognition. Sirius could almost hear his name being whispered, even when it wasn't possible.

Harry raised his head high, up to the stars. A long, bloody, howl announced the death of his **prey**.

Sirius trembled once more, his wounds suddenly as sore as never before.

The howls echoed all night.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry woke up from burning feeling in his veins, still hurting from the night. Sirius was crouched near him and waving his wand alongside Harry's body, chanting some healing spells.

"Si..." Harry started coughing, when the horrible taste in his mouth finally reached his brain.

"It's alright; you're going to be fine."

"I don't feel fine," whispered Harry.

"Well, next time, don't swallow any poisoned blood."

"Is that why my memories of the morning are all blurry?"

"Maybe." Sirius finally finished the intricate pattern with his wand. "There."

Harry blinked a few times – his head was still spinning, but the pulsing pain was receding. Sluggishly moving his slightly numb limbs, Harry managed to sit up, leaning onto a nearby tree. Sirius got up even slower, hindered by an apparently injured leg.

"Sorry."

Sirius just patted Harry's head and then offered a hand as support. "Don't worry about it."

"At least I managed to make it in time." Harry grunted as the combined strength of them both barely managed to get him stand straight.

"I hate to break it to you Harry, but there was no need to..."

"She was in danger!" He growled.

"No one was." Sirius rushed to explain. "It's dangerous inside the Forbidden Forest, and not near it."

"That wolf was ready to attack her!"

"Harry. Hogwarts has numerous protections, especially from non-magical threats."

"But..."

"You just have to be careful not to enter the forest."

"But..."

"Do you think the Beauxbatons' carriage would stand as near the Forest as it does now, if it wasn't safe?"

Harry stilled. "I could have harmed her," he muttered, disbelief in his voice. "I just endangered her…"

"You did what you thought was right." Sirius clasped his left hand around Harry. "You didn't know."

"I killed… just because I thought Cho was in danger."

"It was just a sick wolf. And, it was already dying – don't blame yourself for such things."

"But… Next time, I might rush to your help, only to hurt you more…"

Sirius shook Harry slightly. "Not something you need to worry about, because as far as I remember, I am your godfather, and you're my godson."

"Thank you."

They stood in silence for minute or two.

"Maybe we should go?" said Harry.

"Well, I was just resting my legs." Sirius grinned. "And trying to remember which part of the Forest this is."

"You're lost?"

"Last time I checked, there are two of us."

A smile found its way to Harry's face. "Hogwarts is that way."

"You sure?"

"I am a werewolf, am I not?"

"Fine." Sirius let out a bark-like laugh, and grabbed his side. "It hurts when I laugh."

Harry just shook his head, and they both started limping forward. Smiling.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"I know that stone - we are still this far?" Sirius voice was tired, yet cheerful. "Aren't you glad that it's Sunday?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't think I would go to class even if it wasn't."

"I wouldn't blame you."

"Sirius?"

"I don't think your father would, either."

"No, I just wanted to ask you something…." Receiving a nod from his godfather, Harry continued – "How did you find me last night?"

Sirius just grinned and twisted his wand in his hand. "I just borrowed my old map."

Harry blinked in surprise. "Wasn't it locked inside my trunk? In the Gryffindor common room?"

"Albus had told me and Remus the current password, I know how to cast the Disillusionment Charm and the trunk locks are usually week. Still, I'm probably going to give it back."

Harry reached out with his hand, gesturing to give him the map, but Sirius stopped him. "In any case, I left it at the castle - I still have to show it to Remus and Dumbledore, so I figure the Headmaster's office is safe enough."

"Show the map to the Headmaster? Why?"

"When I was searching for you, I saw someone I didn't expect to."

"What did you see?"

"Who, not what." Sirius smiled. "I still have no idea what Barty Crouch is doing at Hogwarts, though."

"Crouch?"

"Bartemius Crouch - he was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban - without a trial.."

"Maybe it's about the task?" Harry tried to guess. "Or…"

"All I saw was that he was talking with Moody in his office."

"He might be after **you!**" Harry almost shouted. "You have to be careful, Sirius."

"Well, it depends on whether Moody knows about me or not. With Dumbledore, everything is possible, but Moody was part of the Order, so I'd venture to guess that he at least knows I'm on your side. In any case, you, Ron, Hermione and Dumbledore are the only ones around here who know I'm an Animagus, and Moody can't look past that disguise. I remember Albus telling him that Moony has a dog. I was playing the part at the time, even."

"You mentioned the Order?"

"It's a thing of the past. The Order of Phoenix. It's an organization founded by Albus Dumbledore to oppose Voldemort – your parents were part of it once."

"Were you…?"

"He **was**," came a rough voice from a side, making Harry jump in surprise. There hadn't been any scent or sound to warn about the other presence.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

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><p>I think there were a couple of quotes from Rowling's Goblet of Fire, but there might have been more. In any case, I didn't mark them as not to break the flow.<p>

I don't usually put additional notes under the chapter, but** Lord Akiyama** posted a review on the previous chapter. For those who don't know, Lord Akiyama wrote one of the first fics I have read (a first one for Harry/Cho pairing) - **Harry Potter and the Autumn Swan**, and thus, indirectly, is one of the reasons that FFF even began. So, while waiting for FFF to update, you could go and read the Autumn Swan.


	19. The Eye

**Disclaimer**: Rowling owns the Magical World.

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XIX

The Eye

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/VVVV\

"I heard your loud stomping miles away." Moody growled, his wand pointed at Sirius. "Drop your wand, Black."

"Professor," Harry rushed to explain. "He's innocent."

"Oh, he would like you to believe it. Wand. Now."

Sirius lowered his own wand down, but din't drop it. "Alastor, let's call Albus, and he'll explain."

"Black, if you want to speak to Dumbledore, you'd better drop your wand."

Sirius looked deep in thought, but, Harry leaned to the side and plucked the wand from Sirius' hand.

"Is that alright?" he asked, hoping that the paranoid Professor would calm down; it even seemed to help a bit.

"Alastor," Sirius tried once again, "just send Albus your Patronus. You have to trust me; I mean Harry no harm... I never did."

Moody harrumphed. "If you think I'm going to cast a spell that will make me vulnerable for a few seconds, you're greatly mistaken, Black."

"Look, whatever Barty Crouch had told you is worth as much as dragon dung..."

"Crouch?" Was Harry imagining it, or was there a hint of concern and surprise in Moody's voice?

"I know he wishes to have me caught, and is moving behind Albus back – I have seen him in your office last night."

"And pray tell me, Black, how did you see us talking? My privacy charms never even bulged!"

Harry's wolf started growling, was the Professor going to attack Sirius? Even when Sirius was clearly giving up? Harry's wolf tried to get a whiff of Moody, but there was nothing - apparently there was some spell work at place. Without the scent it was really hard to understand why the Professor was behaving as he was...

"Please, Professor," Harry was hoping that Moody would finally understand. "There is this map of Hogwarts my father made; it shows everyone's name and place. Sirius used it to find me yesterday."

"A map?" Moody's magical eye started spinning wildly. "Where is it?"

Sirius smiled. "I have given it to the Headmaster. Just send your Patronus, and we'll show you. I think you're going to like it."

"Dumbledore has it?" the question was thrown as fast as possible. Harry blinked, his wolf shifting uneasily, as if something was very wrong was going on.

"Yes." Sirius figured Moody was just curious, however. "It shows most of the grounds."

"But not inside the forest?"

Sirius shook his head, and Harry slammed into his side, letting a red light pass over them both - his wolf had made him react when Moody launched a stunner at Sirius.

"Give me the wand." Sirius stood up, grabbing his own wand back from Harry, just in time to shield them both from the next spell with a simmering silver tinted shield.

Harry winced in pain - his whole body hurt from the recent change, his vision was slightly blurry and his side was grazed. He stood, as quickly as he managed to, drawing his own... He had no wand - apparently, it was still at Hagrid's.

Moody and Sirius were already exchanging spells, each one faster and more dangerous than the other.

Harry snarled, and started circling around the Professor, his mind racing – he couldn't understand why Moody started cursing Sirius.

However, his wolf cared only one thing – defeating the **enemy **and helping his **pack**. However, the Professor wasn't called Mad-Eye for nothing – the moment Harry chose to spring at him, traced by the eye all along, there came a sickly yellow curse. Harry's wolf made him spin out of the way, however the spell gazed his left cheek leaving a deep bleeding gash.

"Fast, are you, Potter?" Moody almost whispered. "There is no way for a half breed like you to pose a threat to me. **Crucio**."

The spell hit Harry only partially, but it was enough for him to let out a blood chilling scream that grew into a howl. It was as if he was transforming again - his skin burned and his bones felt like they were shattering. Harry collapsed on the ground, convulsing.

Moody lifted the curse only to deflect a furious chain of spells from Sirius.

"A lovely curse, is it not?" He laughed, deflecting spell after spell. "Ever the most pleasurable one."

Sirius roared something incomprehensible and tried to get closer - yet, his injured leg hindering his movement, he soon had to resort to defence.

Harry, still trying to catch his breath, was on all fours, trying to pierce Moody with a fierce gaze, silent.

"Harry, look out!" Sirius shouted as one of the deflected spells almost hit Harry. Moody sent another Crucio, aimed at Sirius, but missed by but an inch.

Harry was looking, but he couldn't see anything – his mind felt too empty and his body was too week... **Why couldn't he**... Harry's wolf was crouching next to him, in a similar pose, yet there was a key difference between them. The wolf was prepared for the leap, and Harry barely held himself together.

_When the night passes, our wolf can linger. It's a rare case, but it happens._

"**Help me,**" Harry whispered.

Mad-Eye landed another spell on Sirius, making his left hand blacken slightly.

The time stilled as the spectre of the wolf started to move - he didn't leap, nor he ran, he just strolled **into** Harry, making his eyes grow wide... There was an inhuman growl as the boy launched himself forward, managing an impossible three meter leap, slamming into Mad-Eye from the side.

As they were falling, Harry could swear that he felt his teeth grow, and he put them to use not a second after, tearing a piece out of Moody's face - he was aiming for the neck, but missed.

"Get off me!" Moody screamed, his flask torn from his side, falling out on the ground, a stinky mess pouring down on the forest ground.

Sirius was waving his wand franticly and trying to perform a counter spell - apparently the black rot was quickly spreading, already having consumed most of his left hand.

Harry was trying to do as much damage as possible – he managed to claw out the magical eye, bite into Moody's wand arm and earn a kick in the already injured side himself. He chose to ignore the latter – it was just pain, after all.

Moody kicked Potter once again, freeing the wand arm and blasting the boy of himself with a loud bang and a flash of light.

Harry slammed into the nearest tree with a loud crack. There was a piercing pain in his side indicating that it might have been his ribs. He didn't even let a gasp, but charged back, blood spilling from his mouth.

Sirius, having dealt with the curse, sent another couple of spells, but his hand was shaking and only one of them even was on target. Moody managed to sidestep it at the very last second - even as cripple as he was, he still had some agility in him.

Still, Sirius made it even closer, and Harry was almost onto him yet again...

"**Avada Kedavra**," Moody spat, with a wand pointing straight at Harry.

Harry dove down before the incantation was finished, the green light passing above, ruffling his hair. He slammed in to the cold ground quite painfully, but before Moody could even blink, he was standing yet again.

Sirius started laughing. "Come on, Moody could do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the forest. His next spell slammed right into Professor, sending him flying into the nearest tree, breaking a few branches. "We have you now!"

There was a flash of green light and Harry leap forward. He slammed into Moody, trying to disrupt the spell – biting into his wand arm and, with a loud snap, the wand broke. However, Moody rolled on the ground, throwing Harry off himself once again.

Only then did Harry realize that his godfather's laughter had felt silent - even as the laughter had not quite died from his face, his eyes were wide in shock. It seemed to take Sirius ages to fall: his body curved in a graceful arc, landing on his side, silent and unmoving.

Harry jumped at his godfather, trying to grab him – to ensure that he was alright, that all of this was just a vision, a nightmare – but Sirius was unmoving, his face forever locked with a smile and ghostly eyes.

Harry's eyes narrowed, and he grabbed the Sirius' wand, turning to face his **enemy** once again – Moody, however took the second of respite to start limping deeper into the forest. The defence Professor was leaving a bloody trail behind, clutching his side, making as much haste as he could.

"YOU HURT SIRIUS!" Harry bellowed with pure rage reverberating in his voice. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

And he was off, scrambling up the forest path. Hatred rose in Harry such as he had never known before; he flung himself out from behind the tree and bellowed, "**Crucio**!"

Moody screamed – the spell had knocked him off his feet, and he tumbled on the ground. However, he didn't look like would have been under the properly cast Unforgivable. "Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, werewolf?" He choked, staring at the approaching Harry. "At least you're trying to kill me like a wizard, but you don't have it in yours-"

The next Harry's curse slammed into Moody's chest, digging deep and making him cough up blood. "Good, boy, good." Moody managed to between the coughs, his only eye red with blood. "Now, kill me! KILL ME!"

Harry almost acted up on the order, but then, deciding against it in an instant, just tried to slam a fist into the smug face of his bloody opponent – his wolf's pride was hurt, he just had to finish the **prey** without magic. Make him feel it as close and personal as possible. Moody just grinned, and with an unexpected speed grabbed Harry's hand mid swing, holding it with all his strength.

"_Morsmordre._" Moody started laughing; there appeared a swirling a gust of wind and his belt glowed once, recognising the password. "We're out of the castle wards now, Potter!"

Harry's wolf forced him to jump back, as he started to feel a jerk somewhere behind his navel. Something was trying to hold him glued to place, as Moody's grip couldn't have been that strong. But, he just yanked his hand back with such a force that his flesh ripped... Harry started falling – he was already a few meters in the air, and the swirl of the Portkey hurled him towards the nearest tree with maddening speed.

He slammed into the tree, and fell on the ground, his body screaming out of pain – his bones – broken and shattered. But he couldn't stay; he had to return to Sirius. Maybe Sirius was still alive. **Sirius**...

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Were there a few seconds lost? Minutes? Silently, he got up on all four, and tried crawling forward. Everything hurt, and the forest was red with blood, the smell lingering everywhere. There were a few beasts woken up by the fight that were approaching. He had to move. Faster.

His legs were buckling, his right arm was bleeding, Sirius' wand was missing.

The world threatened to fade from the view. Only constant pain helped him stay awake. Barely.

He needed to continue on. He had to reach Sirius.

Screaming in bloody fury he grabbed a nearby tree and somehow managed to straighten himself – there – he was standing now. It was only a few… dozens of steps left.

He was moving forward, silent, trying to concentrate. His thoughts were centred only on Sirius – he would reach his godfather and they both would leave this damned forest. He just had to ignore the pain, ignore the sounds of tens of fast legs, the scent of coming wolfs. He would reach Sirius and they would be alright.

Finally, he saw Sirius lying where he fell, and at the same time, realized that something caught up with him. There was a light grey wolf, maybe the one he had seen after finding the dragons, maybe not. Somewhere, in the forest, there were a few more shapes following it, waiting.

He howled and snarled at it, allowing his own wolf almost full control – **I won't be reduced to a prey! Move aside or I'll slaughter you! MOVE ASIDE!**

The grey wolf looked at him, the snout moving slightly with each breath – he was taking in the scents of pain, blood and death. It showed white, sharp teeth. It recognised him.

Harry growled at them, his wolf conveying his thoughts **– I was the one that killed the member of your pack! Now – move or DIE!**

The wolf took a long hard stare at Harry's eyes. Taking in all the pain, all the rage and seeing death in Harry's eyes, it took a single step back. Then, the grey wolf leaned down, touching his muzzle to the ground.

Harry staggered forward, grunting something of an agreement, and continued towards Sirius, wolves following him from a respectable distance.

"Sirius?" Harry whispered, falling onto his knees before his godfather.

Sirius Black, though, replied only with silence. His eyes still locked with a surprise, his face grinning like he had just told a bad joke.

"SIRIUS!" Harry was nudging him to move, his own blood staining Sirius' clothes. "Wake up. He's gone. Moody is gone. We're safe."

It wasn't completely true, as there were a few Acromantula nearby, drawn by the fresh blood, but the presence of the full wolf pack held them at bay. The blood had also drawn some creatures that Harry didn't recognize. If he had had to give their scent a name, he supposed he would have called them death - it was a scent of bones and snake, or rather, lizard skin. Whatever they were, they weren't daring to cross the wolves too - or probably didn't want to bother.

Harry wouldn't have cared if the whole forest had gathered there - he was shaking form pain and disappointment.

"Sirius," he tried again. "Wake up. Please."

A wolf raised his head up in the morning sky and started a long, low howl.

"No!" Harry had blood flowing down his face - or was it tears? "I'm going to bring you to the castle. Pomfrey is going to heal you. She can. Your're going to be alright, Sirius."

He stood up again, ignoring the flaming pain, reminiscent of the Cruciatus curse he had just experienced... He couldn't linger – if he was fast enough, Sirius would wake.

The wolves watched as a bloody, shaking boy lifted the body of the ground and leaned it on his shoulders.

This time it wasn't a dozen of steps - to reach the castle, he would have... Harry snarled - he could count the steps when he got there.

Wolves following as an honour guard of sorts, he started dragging Sirius with him, towards the castle.

His heart pulsed, his each step sent a wave of pain throughout his bones, but he dragged on. He saw everything through the red fog, the wolves reduced to a moving red shadow. His clothes – apparently something Sirius had conjured him - were torn to shreds, and restricting moment, but he didn't bother to tear them completely off. He had lost his boots sometime in the fight – and never took notice of it. His feet were scraped by the stray branches, the ground was cold and sometimes even wet, but he just pressed on.

It took him a good half an hour to reach the edge of the forest, a feat that wouldn't have taken him no more than two minutes, had he and Sirius continued their morning walk.

The wolves and the strange skeletal horses – when he first saw the shapes he figured it was just a vision – stayed hidden behind the trees as Harry emerged on Hogwarts grounds.. Their image followed him even after leaving the forest. They were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each wither - vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats. Death itself was watching.

"You're not going to get him," he hissed at their strange silhouettes, already fading into the red fog.

The sun was shining brightly, as an insult to everything that had just happened to him - it was still cold, but there was no snow, only a few hints of hoarfrost hiding in the branches or grass. There were a few students outside, most of them from Beauxbatons, so he couldn't recognize them.

Harry was ignoring everyone and just limped forward - towards the hospital wing.

"We're almost there." He was whispering after each and every step. "Pomfrey will heal you."

Students were pointing at him, someone was screaming. There was a stream of words in French he didn't understand. He could even scent Dumbledore, who, apparently, was in the vicinity, rushing towards him.

Harry didn't stop - he had to reach the hospital wing.

"Harry!" someone was trying to call him, but he couldn't... Was there a click and a weak red and white flash?

"Sirius, you're going to be alright." He whispered, when he finally saw the Headmaster approaching, through the red fog clouding his vision.

"Harry?" There was the voice he never heard the Headmaster use - fear, surprise and pain. "What happened?"

"I need to bring Sirius to the hospital wing." He took another step forward, but stumbled and almost dropped Sirius.

"Harry," the Headmaster sighed, his voice digging deep into Harry's heart. "He's dead."

Harry faltered in his steps, and fell down, the darkness claiming him.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

_He was running through the howling forest, as a wolf. The black wolf was darting between the trees, following the scent of blood. There - he could see the sight of battle - the broken branches littering everywhere, footprints and a myriads of scents littering the place._

_The wolf ran past all that, and then came to a sudden halt. There, in between two looming trees, stood a black hound._

_Letting out something reminiscent of a bark, the wolf started to approach the member of his pack._

_Suddenly, it was darker than before, and the Hound started changing form - his godfather stood up, laughing, his arms wide open._

_There was a green flash, not unlike the wolf's eyes, and the laughter stopped._

Harry woke up. "SIRIUS!"

He was in the hospital wing, and it was already dark outside. He had to see Sirius... He could barely move. Then, he smelled cinnamon and turned his head quickly to the side, to see an empty chair, placed near his bed. Yet, the scent was strong - apparently Cho had been at his side for quite some time.

He took a few deep breaths, tying to make sense of the trails. She had been sitting there, mostly unmoving, her hand laid onto his - he lifted the bandaged hand near his nose to find an almost untraceable scent of cinnamon mixed with tears. She had been crying? And, apparently, it was Pomfrey, who made her leave.

Who else had been visiting him? Ron and Ginny had arrived at the same time as Hermione. The twins probably came to both visit him and take the others outside. Cedric and Marietta, apparently, had visited too, though Harry guessed that they were there mostly just because Cho was around. Hagrid had been at his side no more than an hour back, but left soon after. Dumbledore's scent was mixed with a small hint of Remus - the previous defence Professor had only been there for less than a minute... Maybe they had come to see Sirius?

But Harry couldn't smell a single hint of Sirius, though, however much he tired. There was a small trace of Moody, though.

"Madam Pomfrey!" He called, sensing her nearby. As she was approaching, he opened his mouth to voice a question, to ask about Sirius, but... Seeing her expression he understood the answer without ever asking. He just froze, wide eyed, mouth gaping and staring at nothing in particular.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, finally shattering whatever little hope he had left. She repeated it a few times. "I'm sorry, Harry. Your godfather was a good man."

Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the Hogwarts Champion for the Triwizard Tournament, the Gryffindor Seeker, the godson of Sirius Black, fell backwards onto the bed, turned over to face the pillow and started weeping.

Pomfrey approached him carefully, and touched his head lightly.

Somehow, when everything finally crashed down on him, it made him realize that he still was very much in a helpless state, that all his bones still hurt, and that Sirius was gone forever... Yet, it wasn't just sadness that filled his heart.

"Harry," Pomfrey called after a few silent minutes. "Drink this."

He turned back, to face her, revealing eyes sore from tears, yet their depths were glittering with rage. Pomfrey just sighed and handed him a small, smelly vial. He drank the moderately bad tasting potion, and only after a few seconds, he lost consciousness once again.

Pomfrey could have sworn she heard a silent whisper at the very last second, a whisper she remembered for as long as she lived:

"I'm going to kill him."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

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><p>The chapter had a quite a few things taken directly from both Rowling's Goblet of Fire and the Order of Phoenix. I didn't mark them as not to break the flow, as allways.<p> 


	20. The List

**Disclaimer**: Rowling can kill whoever she wants. In her books, of course.

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XX

The List

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/VVVV\

Albus Dumbledore was once again sitting in his office, his shoulders weighted down by disappointment. It was an early morning, but it didn't look like the headmaster had slept at all. On his table, there was a piece of old parchment he had been eyeing curiously for most of the night. There, hundreds of names were written on the small, yet very extensive map of the castle. He could see Professor McGonagall escorting Moody out of the castle, with a careful watch of Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt – after a quick patch with Pomfrey. Not long before, they decided that bringing Moody near Harry might bring out an unwanted reaction – so, the old Auror was being transferred to St. Mungo's.

Two names out of the few moving ones were currently approaching his office.

"Come in, Remus, Severus," he called out, his mind elsewhere.

"We have examined the scene," said Snape as soon as they were inside. "There was a fight, and we managed to find this."

Moody's magical eye, with a visible deep scratch on it, rolled onto the table.

"There's also a flask with some Polyjuice Potion in it."

Remus was the one to place the hip flask on the table, staying silent the whole time.

"Lupin managed to smell the traces of the Portkey going off. I confirmed it with a few diagnostic spells." Snape sneered slightly, disliking having to admit that he wasn't the first to find that. "It happened just at the edge of the Castle's protections."

Remus coughed, and spoke for the first time. His voice was rough, tired. "Tell me you didn't know."

Albus looked up, and seeing his expression, Remus shuddered. The headmaster looked so incredibly **tired**.

"I didn't know, but I did guess that something might have been wrong with Alastor."

"Why... Why did you send him to seek out Harry, then?" Remus' voice shaking.

"Who would you have preferred?" Snape spat harshly. "Yourself?"

"Yes." Remus didn't back off. "I could have found them by scent."

"Severus. Please – restrain yourself. Remus is, regrettably, right, however... We have to take into account that he was tired after his own transformation and there was no way to be sure that Sirius had found Harry."

Remus laughed, or maybe coughed – it was so harsh that one couldn't really tell. Snape cringed.

"Harry dragged his godfather's body with a broken leg and fractured ribs, while bleeding heavily, and it was just after bearing the blunt of the Cruciatus Curse. He managed that just after his transformation, and you think I couldn't have walked a few hundred steps to the forest?"

"I wished to save you some pain."

Remus just stood there, glaring.

"For what it's worth, you have my sincere sympathy. And a promise – I'll do whatever is in my power to get Sirius a posthumous pardon."

Remus nodded, not exactly grateful, but at least understanding. "Now, if there isn't anything else..."

"As a matter of a fact..." Albus coughed. "I find myself in need for a substitute Professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts..."

"No." Lupin growled. "The recent legislation forbids me to even try getting the position."

"But not to be hired as a temporary substitute."

"Headmaster," Snape said coldly. "Need I remind you of my qualifications?"

"Severus." Albus only spared the Head of Slytherin a single glance, before turning back to Remus. "It would be only for a month, at its very most."

"No." This time it wasn't said with as much conviction as before.

"It could go ways to providing me proof for a standing ground against the 1993 legislation."

Remus sighed, but said nothing.

"And you could be there for Harry."

"I'll think about it," he whispered. "It would still cause uproar with student's parents..."

"It's all I'm asking for." Dumbledore smiled. "Now, it seems that Harry has once again awoken, I suggest you paid him a visit."

Lupin's raised eyebrow was answered by Dumbledore handing him the Map. "You might want to return this for the rightful owner. And, afterwards, I'd like to meet you in my office again. Of course, on your earliest convenience – we'll draft a contract."

Snape sneered when Lupin left. "I knew that paper wasn't just a piece of parchment throwing insults. Potter lied to me."

"An ingenious use of Castle's semi-awareness, don't you agree?"

"Why are you even thinking about giving it back?" Snape crossed his arms. "Not only it bends rules quite a bit for Potter to have it in his possession, it could be used as an additional security measure. And what if it falls to the wrong hands?"

"You wouldn't take away the boy's link with his father and godfather, would you?"

Snape just sneered at the Headmaster and left without another word, his cloak billowing behind him. The door slammed with a loud bang.

"Severus, you have to let it go..." the Headmaster whispered to an empty room.

Then, sighing again, he drew an empty piece of parchment form one of the many drawers - he had a few question he had to ask Harry, but that could wait a while. After all, Remus could probably tell the same tale after spending some time with young Potter. Soon, a silvery quill and pot of black ink found themselves on his table too - he still had a simple contract to write. And, Albus mused silently to himself, providing he could find time, to sketch an update to the Hogwarts safety.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry was sitting on his bed in the Hospital Wing, eyes darting around, his expression still sour. Not a few minutes ago, he tried to get out of the bed, but Pomfrey noticed him trying to creep outside and all but dragged him back inside.

It was an ungodly early hour, but after sleeping for more than a day Harry wanted to do anything but sit idly, even if Pomfrey said that it would be better for his health.

Then, he caught a whiff of Remus, and his gaze moved to the entrance. Remus entered slowly, carefully closing the door behind him. Pomfrey rushed out from her office, probably thinking that the movement meant that Harry was trying to escape once again. However, after noticing Remus she just gave him a nod, and returned back in.

Through all that, both werewolves were silent, watching each other. Finally, Lupin coughed a few times, trying to find his voice.

"Harry... I'm sorry." He took a few steps forward sitting on the edge of the bed. "I should have been with you. I should have noticed..."

"Noticed...?" Harry croaked, his voice slightly strained.

"The Polyjuice - it has an unique scent, and I should have been able to recognise it. The fake Moody drank it once or twice in my presence, and I didn't even try to place what I could smell."

Harry thought for a few moments. "I figured that was the case. Sirius..." He almost choked on the name. "Sirius said that Moody could do better than... whoever **he** was. I should have checked the map more often."

"Why didn't you?"

"I... I thought that if I can sense everyone because of their scent, I didn't need it anymore."

"Here." Remus gave a folded piece of parchment for Harry to take.

"Shouldn't we give it to Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore gave it back."

"But..."

"He doesn't need it. Or at least, doesn't need it anymore, I guess."

"Alright." Harry placed the map on the nearby bedside. His things from Hagrid's shack were also there - apparently Hagrid had brought them some time yesterday - the wand, the watch and a few coins. "Pomfrey said she won't let me attend classes today."

"You should rest."

"I've rested enough," Harry's voice was very bitter.

"It's just for another day."

"I don't care."

"Harry..." Remus shook his head. "Sirius wouldn't have liked your mood."

"I don't care."

Remus sighed. "At least, could you tell me how..."

"You don't know?"

"I have been at the place - there are enough trails to figure it out, but I have to..."

Harry started staring at the wall.

"If you don't want to talk about it..." Remus began, but Harry cut him off.

"We were walking in the forest. Towards the castle. Sirius... was telling me about Barty Crouch. Then we met... Moody. But he attacked us. I had no wand. Sirius was injured from the night." Harry winced. "Had I not bitten him, he would have been fine. And after Sirius almost got him, he cast the Killing Curse."

Remus closed his eyes, as if trying to imagine the scene.

"Sirius was laughing... when..." Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I used an unforgivable. On the impostor. It failed. Then, he taunted me. The way he said it. He only tried to get closer to me... I failed for his trick. I tried to punch him... He had a Portkey - like one I used to return from the Quidditch world cup... I managed to get away at the last second."

"Why..." Remus asked, opening his eyes. "Why did you drag Sirius up to the castle?"

"I... I hoped... that here..." Harry's voice cracked and he started sobbing silently.

Remus reached out, engulfing Harry in a hug. "I understand..."

"I miss him." Harry breathed out.

"I know." Remus was holding Harry as softly as he could. "Padfoot loved you very much."

"I know." Harry whispered, a few tears dropping down his face. "I know."

The hospital wing fell into silence. Harry just sat there, leaning against the pillow, staring at the wall, watched by Remus.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Remus?" Harry was slowly getting hold of himself. "Could you stay for a bit?"

"I will."

"I mean... for a few days? If that isn't too big of a problem for you?"

Remus ruffled his unruly hair. "Of course."

"Thank you."

Remus sniffed the air. "I think there's someone to see you."

Harry quickly wiped his face with the sleeve, and turned to see the door open.

Hermione was first to enter, followed by Cho, both girls shadowed by Ron.

Remus stood up. "I'll meet you later."

"No." Harry was mostly looking at Cho. "You don't have to leave."

"Professor Lupin?" Cho realized who exactly was at Harry's side.

"I would try to correct you, Miss Chang, but Headmaster did ask me to substitute a few lessons, so I might be a Professor for a while."

"Harry!" Hermione started, giving Remus only a nod and a weak smile. "We have heard everything... We're sorry for your loss."

"They told me that Sirius Black was your godfather..." Cho exhaled after hearing out Remus, and rushed to engulf Harry in a hug. "I'm sorry... It must be... I don't know what to say, but I'm here... if..."

"Thank you." He whispered in her ear, taking in her soothing breath and heartbeat.

"I never thought that Sirius would..." Ron was slightly shaky. "I never did thank him for Pig. Harry, I know that he was everything for you."

Cho sobbed a few times.

"It means a lot to me," Harry said. "Thank you for being here for me. All of you."

"Do you want... to talk about him?" Cho whispered.

"I- don't know, actually. He was... I'd rather just-"

Hermione and Ron sat on his bed, Remus sitting on bed nearer to the entrance to the wing.

Cho started stroking Harry's back, gently and slowly. "What kind of man was he?"

"Sirius. He was..." Harry opened his mouth, and closed it again - what was there to say that would convey...

"If there ever was a man that couldn't be more of a child, it was Sirius," Remus started speaking, startling everyone but Harry - they almost forgot he was still there. "He was one of the few friends that I had that never cared who or what I was. He couldn't be brought down by anything. Even after Azkaban, he never lost his soul, he never lost himself. A loyal friend, a loving godfather and a man I'll never regret knowing - he was both a beacon and a pillar for all of us, shining as bright as his namesake - the brightest star in the night."

"I wish I could have known him." Cho spoke silently, as if afraid to destroy the picture Remus words had painted.

"Me too." Harry agreed. "He would have liked to meet you."

She just held him, letting him slump against her, relaxing as much as was possible under the circumstances.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Ron and Hermione left for Herbology, Cho – for Potions, and Remus said his apologies to go and see the Headmaster. Yet, his pack had visited him, and they were grieving the loss of the member as much as he was. The pain was less. The rage and hate, however was not, he just had to push it away, so that he wouldn't snarl or howl.

Madam Pomfrey was with another patient (a second year, who had an accident in transfiguration), when Ginny ran inside, carrying a newspaper in her hands.

"Harry." She was whispering, but he heard her perfectly. "There's... you..."

He blinked, not exactly understanding what was it about. "Ginny?"

"I'm sorry for Sirius." She continued whispering, throwing side glances at Madam Pomfrey. "But... I saw someone with the Daily Prophet... Hermione said you wouldn't want to see this today..."

"It's not going to get much worse now. You can give it to me." Harry looked at her with fire burning behind his eyes. "It's **Rita**, isn't it?"

"Yes and no." Ginny gave him the newspaper, and throwing another glance to Pomfrey.

Harry snatched it from her hands rougher than she expected, but didn't start reading just yet, instead raising an eyebrow at Ginny and glancing at Pomfrey himself.

"I'm sorry, I overslept, I should have been here with Hermione and Ron," she whispered a lie. "Well, I have to run, don't want to get caught skipping History of Magic."

Harry nodded, and Ginny grabbed him for a very short hug and ran outside.

"Mr. Potter?" Poppy was looking at him, finished reversing the transfiguration on the ears. "Was there someone to see me?"

He just shrugged, as if he hadn't seen anyone.

Seeing that he wouldn't elaborate, she turned back to the second year and started berating him for not being careful.

Harry finally lowered his gaze towards the front page.

There was a huge picture that drew his eyes immediately - it was Sirius, slightly bloody, being dragged on the shoulders of a bleeding boy - Harry could barely recognize himself.

The robes he was wearing were tattered, marked with red and brown stains of blood and dirt. He had no boots on. His feet were heavily bruised, bloody and were sinking into the wet ground with each step. One of his legs was either broken or strained - each time he was supporting himself with the broken leg, it made his face clench his teeth. There were numerous cuts on his face from stray branches, his cheek was bleeding, as was his hand. As heavy as each step looked like, Harry in the picture was moving with dead man's determination. To finish the macabre picture, Sirius himself was slightly smiling, his glassy grey eyes unmoving, a slightly swaying loose hand covered in black, burned skin.

It took him good ten minutes to tear the gaze away from those dead eyes.

**THE LAST BLACK**

**Harry Potter defeats Sirius Black in the Forbidden Forest**

In a way, he felt like he had just died himself. There was no more rage left in him, no more tears to shed. Harry just sat there, unmoving, reading the words, his wolf watching silently.

_Sirius Black, the only wizard to ever escape from the Azkaban prison, had died this Sunday, failing his attempt to murder the Boy Who Lived._

Harry was slowly tracing his finger down the words.

_The last heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was imprisoned for the cold-blooded slaughter of Peter Pettigrew and thirteen muggles._

Harry hovered his finger over the Wormtail's name. **Voldemort. The impostor. Wormtail. Skeeter.**

_Not a very widely known fact is that Sirius Black was named to be a godfather for Harry Potter, the very same boy he tried to murder._

Harry was surprised to find a drop of truth in the article by Rita. However, she soon fell on her usual way of reporting.

_There are numerous speculations about how Harry Potter was found by Sirius Black and how did they end up in the forbidden forest. However, as many witnesses might point out, Harry Potter was seen behaving as if on edge last Saturday, even going as far as to threaten innocent bystanders._

_People believe that it was Sirius Black, who was after Harry Potter. But the truth might be different. Perhaps, young Harry Potter had found out about his relation with the escaped convict and learned that Sirius Black's Last Will and Testament still names him as one of the three living beneficiaries. As per official records, Harry Potter's share is of substantial size. Here, at Daily Prophet we have to ask – could it be that Potter knew Black was coming and decided to 'claim' his inheritance? Narcissa Malfoy née Black has answered to our question by confirming that she will contest the Will, "as not to allow a violent child to get away with murder", however, proving the case before the Wizengamot might prove challenging._

_The fact that Harry Potter is Hogwarts' Champion for the Triwizard Tournament saves him from a more throughout investigation, at least, until the Tournament is concluded. However, Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, only revealed that the investigation is undergoing, but refused to comment, only revealing that "the situation is more complicated than a first look can tell". We urge our readers to form an opinion themselves, but the fact that Amelia Bones had just been visited by Albus Dumbledore, points that the Headmaster of Hogwarts is trying to save the good name of his student..._

It appeared that most of the paper focused on the story. There had been a small biography of Sirius Black, a considerably larger one for Harry and finally, a reprint of the previous articles on Harry and Triwizard Tournament.

Harry put away the paper and fell down on the bed again.

"Voldemort. The impostor. Wormtail. Skeeter," he whispered to himself, his voice without a drop of life.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Ginny was walking towards the hospital wing, when she saw Cho leaving together with Harry. Noticing that they haven't yet seen her and were starting to walk walking in another direction, she darted at the side, and hid in a small passage.

Harry turned his head around quickly. Strawberries.

"Harry?"

"I think I saw Ginny." He couldn't tell her he could smell Ginny nearby, could he?

"Want to go and talk with her?" Cho asked, concerned - Harry had said only a few distant sounding sentences after she came to visit him and learned that he was being realeased. "I don't mind."

Ginny swore under her breath – she could hear them speaking, so Harry must have heard her running easily. She banged her head lightly on the wall. "Stupid."

"I might have been wrong." Harry's voice had a slightly hollow ring to it. "Let's go."

"I think I understand." Cho said suddenly. "What you have been saying all the time."

Harry just continued on silently – he could hear Ginny slumping against the wall.

"About being in the spotlight," Cho clarified. "I never thought it was that..." She fell silent, looking for a word. "Horrible."

"If you don't want to-" he began, but Cho cut him off.

"Harry. Please. Don't finish that sentence." She leaned against him, offering her warmth. "I want to be with you, no matter what."

Had it been any other day, he would have been jumping out of happiness. Now, there was a single spark in his eye and it was gone a second after. "Thank you."

She shifted her head and planted a light kiss on his cheek in response.

They walked slowly, sometimes whispering a few words between each other. However, both of them understood that Harry was too much drained. Cho didn't press him, even when she clearly had some questions that were left unvoiced, she figured they could wait till life returned to him.

This time, they went the opposite way than usually – Cho had insisted – and said their goodbyes at the Fat Lady's portrait. Even if there was the usual spark missing, Harry enjoyed the warm hug somewhat.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Ron and Hermione were waiting for him inside, but didn't press him. They were careful, trying to avoid discussing both the article and Sirius, but Harry knew that the conversation was coming. He mostly didn't listen to what was being said, and each response had to be dragged from him. The twins had also been there, said a few words and went off to make sure that nobody would bother him. He could hear them had threatening the Gryffindors into leaving Harry alone for the day.

The common room was getting less crowded by the minute and Harry could hear some of the conversations that were about him and the article. As he understood, Fred and George had spread the tale about Peter being alive, as most everyone seemed to have heard that and were speculating who could have attacked them and how Alastor Moody was involved. Everyone were waiting for the Headmaster to speak about the subject, but apparently were only promised an explanation later, and an urge to leave Harry Potter be at peace.

A follow up topic in the common room was Remus Lupin, for the third years had him as a substitute and that increased the curiosity in what really happened. Thankfully, the twins were persuasive enough and nobody bothered Harry directly until the next morning.

When Ron and Hermione finally went to sleep, Harry opted to stay in the common room, watching the fire, saying that he had slept more than enough.

Harry was sitting on the floor just before the fire when Ginny entered. She saw his shadow, but probably didn't recognise him, as she went straight for the stairs.

"Ginny?" the silent voice made her jump.

"Harry? What-?"

"Why..." He turned his head to face her. "Why were you hiding from me?"

"I..." She looked flustered, shadows dancing on her face. "-wasn't."

"Ginny, don't lie to-" He stopped for a second, sniffing the air a few times. Strawberries. Salt. "You were crying?"

"I wasn't," she lied.

He looked at her face more attentively. "You were. Did something else happen?"

"No."

"Is it-" The thought seemed stupid, but he had to ask. "-because of me?"

She didn't answer, just took a step closer to the stairs.

"Ginny?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I care." She turned away and started climbing up. "Good night. Harry."

"Good night..." Harry trailed off, listening.

The fire was burning, the sparks were playing in the flames, Ginny's flaming red hair was swaying with every step she took. He could even hear her heart beating. He could hear her whisper something, that left him staring at the stairway for quite some time. Had he heard her correctly?

_Because I love you._

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The fire was burning brightly in the fireplace, illuminating the common room with eerie light. Somewhere outside, there was an almost full moon, blazing bright in the night skly. However, his wolf was beside him, watching the flames.

"Voldemort," he whispered.

The flames were shifting, he could almost see images there, in the burned coal, painted in smoke and white flames.

"The impostor."

He could almost see the struggle in the forest drawn with the flame. When Sirius launched **him** into a tree...

"Wormtail."

The crackling of the fire reminded him the sound of breaking branches and bones.

"Skeeter," he mouthed, throwing someone's Daily Prophet into the fire.

The photo of him and Sirius caught fire and burned.

In his eyes, however, there was an entirely different flame raging.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter had some pieces taken from Rita's articles in Daily Prophet.<p> 


	21. The Will

**Disclaimer:** Rowling's words bite deeper then curses.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Feathers, Fangs and Flames

Chapter XXI

The Will

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He raised his gaze from the flame - it appeared that the fireplace in the common room never stopped burning - Harry guessed that it was because of the house elves. There was someone climbing down the boy dormitory stairs. Judging by the scent - Neville.

It dawned on Harry that it was already morning. He stood up from the carpet, feeling slightly sore - he hadn't moved for most of the night.

"Harry?"

"Good morning, Neville."

Neville shuddered – Harry's voice rang without any emotion. "Have you gone to sleep at all?"

"No, but I slept for more than a day in the hospital wing."

"Are you going to go to breakfast?" Neville asked carefully, weighting his every word.

"Yes."

"Want to wait for Ron and Hermione?" Neville looked slightly uncomfortable.

"We can go now."

Harry straightened his robes, checked that he still had his wand and started walking.

It took a few flights of stairs till either of them said anything.

"I'm sorry... for your loss." Neville muttered. "Ron said that Sirius Black was innocent... I have a few photos of him together with... our parents. Would you like me to write Gran?"

The question hung in the air for a few steps.

"Yes." Harry was staring straight bellow him, looking where he was placing each foot. "Thank you."

Neville hesitated, but then gathered some courage and continued. "It must be really hard for you. Because of everyone-"

"He was a closest thing to a father for me." Harry's voice was a strained whisper, each syllable harder to say than the one before. "It's like losing my parents again."

"I know how that..." Neville added inaudibly.

Even as Harry heard him perfectly he didn't press on.

"I'll see about those pictures."

Harry answered only with a nod.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

During breakfast, Harry noticed two things - everyone was gossiping about him and Dumbledore, and, the Headmaster appeared to be absent again.

Ron and Hermione arrived later than he would have expected – apparently, they had been looking for him. Hermione even started to complain as soon as she was within earshot.

"Harry," she hissed quietly while sitting down next to him. "Why didn't you tell us-"

Ron touched her shoulder, interrupting her. "Hermione."

"It's fine." Harry muttered at looking him and pointed towards his right. His voice was still cold. "I'm sorry - I just joined Neville when he asked. I should have waited."

Ron took the seat too. "It's not a problem, Harry."

"Is it true that you duelled Sirius Black?"

Harry raised his head and stared at the second year he didn't even recognise. The second year yelped out of surprise, seeing the flame in Harry's eyes. Then, he tried to mouth an apology, but couldn't manage a straight sentence, getting only a few incoherent sound out, blushed and ran to sit at the opposite end of the table.

With all the movement he missed the exact moment the aroma of cinnamon appeared.

"Harry." There was a gentle hand on his shoulder. "May I sit with you?"

He turned to face Cho and nodded. Neville quickly shuffled to the side, letting the Ravenclaw join the Gryffindor table.

Cho took a long look at Harry's eyes – they were as green as ever, yet, paler and not as shiny – also, she could see the mark a lack of sleep left on his face.

Harry held the gaze, unblinking, silent.

"Have you slept at all?" She asked, concerned.

"No."

"Why?"

"I have slept enough before."

Cho shuddered and didn't press on.

They both moved on with their breakfast. However, Cho always tried to maintain a touch between them throughout the meal - she held her hand close to his, trying to relay that she was there for him.

He took that feeling – the one that told him that however bad it was, there was someone at his side – and latched into it like a drowning man tries to grab a straw. **Sirius died because he was near me**. Cho was lightly stroking his arm. She was there – with him. **Why**? The wolf's presence, also soothing the emptiness he felt, offered a reply – the pack always fights together whenever there's danger.

His thoughts were pushed away by McGonagall approaching slowly. Nearby people stilled, watching their head of house heading towards Harry Potter.

"Mr. Potter." She stood straight, and her voice was strong, unwavering, even though Harry could whiff a trace of her worry. "Please accept my condolences for your godfather's death."

"Thank you." He nodded, without emotion.

"Please report to the Headmaster's office; after you have finished your meal." She continued, the nearby people trying to be as silent as possible and to catch each and every word.

Hermione gasped silently – they were supposed to head to History of Magic, as every Tuesday morning.

"You are, of course, excused from the first class for today, Mr. Potter."

"Did the Headmaster tell why?" Harry spoke up.

"It has to do with your godfather. I'm afraid I cannot tell you more, but you needn't worry." And she turned around and went outside of the Hall, the conversations near the tables returning to their former state.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

When he approached the stone gargoyle, it moved aside almost immediately, without even waiting for a password. Which Harry didn't have, in any case.

He hurried through the gap in the walls and stepped onto the foot of a spiral stone staircase, which moved slowly upward as the doors closed behind him, taking him up to a polished oak door with a brass door knocker.

He could hear voices from inside the office. He stepped off the moving staircase and hesitated for a single second before knocking. It appeared that some witch was talking about Sirius.

"Come on in, Harry." Dumbledore called as soon as his knuckles touched the door.

"Headmaster." He nodded and turned to a broad, square-jawed witch with very short grey hair, sitting in one of Headmaster's conjured seats, next to an empty one; she wore a monocle and looked forbidding. Harry stilled not knowing how to address her.

"Amelia Bones." The witch supplied. "It's good that you arrived as early as possible Mr. Potter."

Harry glanced at the Headmaster.

"Ah, yes, Harry, I'm sorry for not informing you in advance, but Amelia Bones has arrived here in her official capacity as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She's here to ask you a few questions about Sirius Black. You should note that you have choice whether to answer any questions she asks."

Amelia coughed. "As Headmaster has chosen to explain the reason of my visit you, why don't you take a seat, Mr. Potter, and we'll begin?"

Harry sat down on the empty seat and waited.

"The Headmaster has filled me with the recount of your third year and the meeting between you and Sirius Black. Could you confirm that you met him on June of last year?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to add something to the story Headmaster recounted to me?"

Harry gave Dumbledore another glance and saw a barely noticeable shake of the head. "No."

Amelia coughed. "What about the events of last Sunday?"

This time, Dumbledore nodded. However, Harry hesitated. "I..."

"Mr. Potter, I am trying to help you."

"Harry." Albus soft voice made Amelia move her head sharply at his direction. "You can speak freely – Amelia knows that you sneaked out of the castle to meet with your godfather, but we have already established that my decision not to punish a student trying to connect with his family stands."

Amelia gave a short but hard stare at Dumbledore, but Harry interceded, gathering the attention back to himself. "I'll talk"

And he did. The words were dry, cold, but he poured them one by one. He told her of the sudden appearance of Moody, mentioned that Sirius figured out that whoever the man they met was he couldn't have been Alastor Moody. He didn't mention anything about the Order, nor his own use of Cruciatus curse - he figured it would have been bad to confess such a thing in front of the Head of Magical Law Enforcement.

Dumbledore was watching him intently throughout all the speech, probably more so than Amelia. The Headmaster looked like was ready to catch and redirect all and any slip-ups, but gladly there hadn't been any need for his intervention during the whole story.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"There is also the matter of the last will and testament of Sirius Black." Amelia waited for a few moments but, as neither Harry nor Albus said anything, she continued, after drawing out an old piece of parchment. "Normally, you would simply receive an official letter, but since there has been a contesting statement issued, today shall have to serve as a preliminary reading, and the will's effects would be concluded on a later date. Is that alright with you, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes."

"Good." She unfolded the parchment and started reading. "_In the unfortunate case of my demise, I leave all my possessions to be divided equally between the following people, or failing that, between their closest relatives – James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Nymphadora Tonks. If, at the time of my death, my possessions include any kind of real estate, it is to be given to Remus Lupin in addition to his share, or if he's unavailable, to Harry Potter with apologies from his godfather for not being there. Anyone carrying or having carried the surname Black, who wishes to claim a part of my former possessions is to be given no more than a single Knut..." _Amelia coughed, slightly uncomfortable. "There are also instructions as to where that Knut should be put, but as it's a deviation from the protocol, that part of the will is to be considered void. The will is confirmed by signature of Sirius Black, dated for January of 1981. The witness to the writing of the will is listed as James Potter. There's also the seal of the Ministry, confirming its validity. Do you have any questions?"

"No." Harry shook his head slightly.

"Good. Mr. Potter, you will be informed by owl about any changes and the date of the final reading, possibly only after the tournament is concluded. And now, you must excuse me, for there are lots of matters for me to deal with today." She stood up, nodding at the Headmaster and turned towards the fireplace. "Albus, I'll keep in contact as to the proceedings. We'll talk more on the day of the second task."

And, after a few moments she was gone, only a small fire was left burning in the fireplace.

"Sir," Harry began, slowly, his eyes mirroring the flame deep inside. "Who was the impostor, truly?"

"I wouldn't tell my students such a thing, but you, I think, have a right to know." Albus paused for a second, weighting his thoughts. "If you really want to. I'd like to caution you that any step taken in hatred is not a step forward."

"Tell me." The voice had no emotion in it. "Sir."

"If you were paying attention, Madam Bones was careful not to mention any potential suspects. However, Alastor does remember seeing both Peter Pettigrew and Barty Crouch Junior at the night he was subdued. I'm hoping his words will be enough to convince the Department of magical Law Enforcement that Peter Pettigrew is alive and working for Voldemort."

"Barty Crouch Junior?" Harry asked, checking how the name tasted on his lips. Salty, not unlike blood.

"Yes." Dumbledore's gaze was slightly to the side, at the closed cabinet in the office. "I'd have to refresh my memory, but he was supposed to have died in Azkaban. Apparently, his father had managed to fake his death, and held him prisoner in his own home. Unfortunately, the son managed to escape and, apparently is now helping Voldemort together with Peter Pettigrew. And before you ask, Bartemius Crouch Senior is currently in St. Mungo's, due to the prolonged exposure to the Imperius Curse, possibly one of Peter Pettigrew. I believe that Voldemort intended for you to participate in the tournament. Crouch must have been the one to enter your name into the Goblet."

"Why?"

"Alas, I can only venture to guess. Perhaps, he believes it to be a test of sorts, to see if you are worthy of his attention. There is a possibility that he planned to kill or kidnap you during the tournament – such a display would greatly reinforce the fear people have of him, and set a scene for his return. I have talked about it with Amelia and we will be reinforcing the safety of the tournament, as well, as watching over it more closelly."

"Crouch tried to help me with the task." Harry suddenly realized. "It wasn't much, but he did offer some advice."

Dumbledore nodded. "It is as I feared – Voldemort was planning something for the third task. Hopefully we can prepare – he has but two servants, and one of them lacks a wand and we are forewarned."

"Will you be calling the Order together?"

"Sirius and Remus told you about the last war, then?"

"Yes." Harry's voice had a slight metallic tint to it, showing emotion for the first time since arriving at the Headmaster's office. "I don't know much, but if you are fighting against Voldemort, I want to help. Any way I can."

"Harry, your childhood is a valuable thing; you shouldn't want to waste it-"

"I don't **care**." Harry's wolf was making him growl. "I never had any childhood worth mentioning - Voldemort made my life a living hell. I want to rip his **throat out**."

"I was hoping you still had time to grow up peacefully." Dumbledore sighed, his eyes full of sadness and defeat. "For what is worth – I'm sorry."

Harry was silent, his eyes green with the colour of the Killing Curse.

"Please, I urge you to reconsider. Leave the battle for the old and experienced. Don't let your anger light your way." Dumbledore was meeting Harry's gaze. "You have a hard life, but it is unnecessary to make it even harder. Live, Harry, you have to live, laugh, love, be with your friends. You are too young."

Harry's hand twitched, and he spoke slowly, words laced with a hint of anger and nothing more. "With all due respect, sir, I might not have enough time to live in peace like you would like me to. You said it yourself – Voldemort was planning something about me. Why? I asked you the same question, just after I had killed Quirrell and had almost died myself. Why? _Why would he want to kill me in the first place_? I remember what you said to me - _I cannot tell you._ You said that it was not the time... When? When I'll be old enough in your eyes? When all my friends, everyone you wish me to try living with will be **dead**?"

Headmaster recoiled as if he had been slapped. "I..."

Harry was standing still, watching, smelling, listening.

"I cannot tell you now." Dumbledore raised his hand, as Harry was opening his mouth to protest. "I promise you I'll tell as much as there is to tell you, and soon. But not today. Not when you are full of anger."

Harry shook his head. "I'm not full of anger. I hardly feel **anything** at this point."

"All the more. I promise you, though, on my honour and my word to tell you everything before your next birthday, after the tournament has ended. You don't need any more troubles for yourself, especially ones that you can do nothing about."

"Thank you." There was a pause. "Sir."

"Now, I believe, you have lessons later in the day, and I have responsibilities of my own..."

Harry left unsatisfied, but believing that the promise to tell him everything was the most he could have gotten out of Dumbledore that day.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Professor?"

"Yes?" Remus had just finished explaining about a few spells. "Do you have a question about what we have just been through?"

"No, but..."

Remus sighed. "Alright, Mr. Creevey, I'll allow for one question to the side, if you you'll agree to help me demonstrate the next spell."

"Was Professor Moody really an impostor?"

Remus coughed. "Well, the official stance of the ministry is that you are too young to be told, but I believe that I can tell you that there was a man pretending to be Professor Moody, yes. I'm afraid, however, that I cannot reveal any more than that, and you'll have to wait for the evening, when if I'm not mistaken, the Headmaster will address the issue himself."

"Is it true that you are a werewolf?" Someone shouted from the back. "They say that you are."

"I said I would answer only one question not related to the lesson, didn't I?" The tone he chose was slightly unpleasant, reminding in part the one used by Snape, even. "Now, as we were. Mr. Creevey, please join me in the front of the classroom."

There were hundreds of whispers after that, and fearful glances were being thrown throughout the lesson. It was all exactly like Remus expected it to be.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

When he scented Harry approaching, he quickly got up from the desk and opened the door, to let him in.

Harry just went past him and collapsed on the nearest chair.

"You're not going to have supper?" Remus inquired, concerned tones in his voice.

"No. I believe you aren't going to go, either?" Harry pointed at a steaming plate nearby. His voice still mostly emotionless.

"No. I don't want to scare any more students than necessary."

"How do you..." Harry started, but just could finish.

"Deal with everything?" Remus shook his head. "I have people to live for."

"People?"

"You, Sirius, James. Even with those that aren't with us anymore are reminding me why and how with every breath I take."

"Why do people around me would up getting hurt? Dead?" There was a hint of sadness in the voice.

"I'm not really qualified to answer." Remus shifted, pushing his meal further away from himself and nearer to Harry. "It was the same with me. My mother was very sick and died when I was about your age. I have used her illness as an excuse for my periods of absence. I wish I had visited her as many times as I said I did... My father died during the war a few years later. I lost all of my friends in a single day. I believed that Peter was dead, and that Sirius had betrayed us. I lost James and Lily. I even lost Alice and Frank, they weren't good friends, but they could have been, I think."

"So... how?"

"I didn't." Remus sighed. "I just ran away. Went to France for a few years, tried to forget everything. I almost did. Only Albus woke me up. I'm sorry I haven't visited you."

"But you did spend every full moon with me. And Sirius."

"Not all of them."

"You wanted to."

Lupin showed a small, unhappy smile. "Wasn't I supposed to be the one helping you cope..."

"It's enough that you're here. Moony." Harry's voice was almost alive. "I have heard people talking. Not about Sirius, no... About you. And I know that you can hear them as well as I can. It must have been hard for you to agree to stray for a few days... Thank you."

"You're welcome." Remus ruffled Harry's hair. "I can only offer you this – you can learn to live with the pain. And after a while, it always lessens."

"Is it... bad, that I haven't felt almost anything since yesterday?"

"You have." Remus voice was soft and calm. "You will. Speak with your friends. It helps."

"I will."

Then, they simply ate, sitting in silence, listening to the distant sounds of everyone, gathering in the Great Hall. They couldn't hear him, but they knew that Dumbledore was speaking with everyone. Telling everyone about Barty Crouch, Sirius Black and Harry Potter. Urging to be vigilant and prepared, united and fearless.

"He promised."

Harry looked at Remus questioningly.

"He promised he would prove that Sirius was innocent."

"I don't think Sirius would care." Harry replied, honestly. "But it's a... good thing. Maybe."

"At least they will be trying to catch **Pettigrew**."

"And **Crouch**."

After a few more minutes of silence, Harry started the conversation again - "Moony, do you think you could teach me?"

"Teach you what, exactly?"

"Defence. Dueling. Everything."

"I don't know. I don't think I signed anything about the tournament, so I should be able to give you a lesson or two, if you really want it."

"I don't want it for the tournament."

"Alright. Come here on Saturday after lunch, we'll see what I can do."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He sat with Ron, playing Wizard's Chess. He was losing badly, but it helped somewhat. He was almost feeling something again.

"Why are you avoiding Cho?" Ron asked, after a pawn defeated one of Harry's knights.

"I am not avoiding her."

"And Ginny isn't avoiding you."

Harry ordered the other knight to take back the space.

"I do see things sometimes." Ron smiled, slightly, as if scared that a full smile would push Harry away. Or he was simply scared of what Harry would do.

"Are you afraid of me?" Harry asked, seemingly without reason.

"No... I mean..." Ron shuffled uncomfortably in his seat, but answered honestly. "I was. I don't know now. But I believe that you wouldn't hurt me."

"Thank you for not lying."

"You didn't answer my question though." Ron's queen moved into a space that wasn't defended anymore. "Check."

"I am not-" Harry stopped, noticing his expression. "It's just that I... don't know... Everything is not the same as before." He gestured for a pawn to protect the king. "Its like I can't feel anymore."

"Nonsense. Whenever you're with her, I can see that you are happier." Ron captured a rook with the queen.

"But it's not as strong-"

"It has been but a few days since Sirius died. You're allowed to grieve. Just don't do something you might regret later. Or, I think, **do** something so that you wouldn't regret not doing things you should have been."

"But..."

"You need to speak with someone other than Remus, me or Hermione."

Harry sighed. "It's good that people know what I should be doing."

"I didn't mean it that way."

"I know. When did you have time to think about this?"

"Since I know the result of this game already, I had some time to think. By the way, it's your move."

Harry's bishop moved almost through the whole board capturing a rook of Ron's, trying to even the score. "Check."

"So, are you going to?" Ron moved his only knight in the way, opening a path for his other rook towards the white king. "Check."

Harry looked over the board. "I'll speak with her." He gestured the king to the only viable spot.

"And Ginny?"

"She's the one running from me, not me."

"Alright. **I'll **speak with my sister for you." The queen took a place next to Harry's King, protected by the rook. "Checkmate."

Harry's king threw the white crown to the ground, grumbling something under his nose.

"It's good to have you back Ron." The voice had some warmth.

"It's the least I can do."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter had lines from Rowling's Philosopher's Stone and Sirius Black's Will. I didn't mark them as not to break the flow.<p> 


	22. The Peace

**Disclaimer**: Always remember to Rowling.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXII

The Peace

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Luna was sitting on the stairs, her toes moving according to some chaotic melody, only socks protecting her from the cool stone. Cho, climbing upwards stopped at the sight.

"Isn't it cold?"

"Hello, Cho." Luna was humming between the words. "I've lost a pair of boots somewhere and I'm hoping that I can call them back."

"Luna." There was a drop of concern in her voice. "You can always tell a prefect."

"They always come back sooner or later."

"Still, you should."

"I don't want to be a bother." She shrugged. "Are you sad that Stubby Boardman died?"

Cho blinked. "Who?"

Luna looked at her as if she was mad. "Dad was trying to prove that Sirius Black was the lead singer of the Hobgoblins. Now he'll probably print the article a lot sooner."

"Luna." Cho began carefully. "I think Sirius Black was simply Sirius Black. Although, he was innocent."

"Of course he was." Luna smiled tapping her feet on the stairs. "Harry liked him?"

"Yes." Cho sighed. "It really hurt him when Sirius died."

"He still winces whenever anyone is talking about him." Luna shrugged. "Even when he's at the other side of the Great Hall. I think he had a very strong connection with the Hobgoblins. Do you think Professor Lupin played for them too?"

Cho just shook her head. "Luna, just... I hope you find your boots soon."

"Thanks." Luna smiled brightly. "It's nice to talk people who listen to me. Harry listens to you. I think."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry was panting heavily – the air in the bubble was barely breathable – a first sign of an improperly cast Charm. Dispelling it with a wave of his wand, he took in a deep breath of the refreshing air.

"I'm never going to learn it properly," he muttered under his breath, feeling the scent of cinnamon assaulting his senses – the charm was good at holding back all the smells, at least.

"I think you should rest." Cho stood near him, leaning her back at the parapet of the Astronomy tower.

"I have to cast it correctly." He shook his head. "I need to get this over with, so I could train in other spells with Remus."

She sighed. "Harry, you need to stop rushing. It's good that you have determination, but you really have to slow down."

"I don't have time for that." He was barely audible in the wind. "I have to-"

Cho stood straighter and took his right hand into her own. "You have to stop rushing. You need to speak with me, to wake up."

He barely held himself from snapping at her. "We are talking."

"No, we are not." Cho touched his cheek with her loose hand, lightly. "You're not there. You're just thinking that you could have changed something if you knew more spells."

"I could have." He almost hissed. "You weren't there. I failed Sirius."

"I wasn't," she allowed. "But I know that you have tried your best and more. I know that, because I know you. And this-"

He turned his gaze away from her.

"Harry." She squeezed his hand. "This isn't you."

He was silent, but didn't oppose when she gently tilted his head back to face her.

"Since Sirius passed away, you have been colder. You can grieve, but don't make it harder than it should be."

"Do you want me to laugh and pretend that it never happened?"

"Laugh – yes. You don't have to pretend – it did, and it was horrible." She shuddered. "That photo is going to haunt me forever – but you don't have to give up because of that. I just wish you had told me of Sirius before, but I'm not going to blame you for that. You should do the same – know that it could have been different, but live with whatever life gives you."

"I'm sorry I didn't..."

"Don't be." She leaned closer. "I know there are things you can't tell me yet. I see it in your eyes every day – you think it's something that will scare me away..."

Harry gulped and took a deep breath.

She was looking him in the eyes, somewhere in their depths.

"I am in fact," he began, his voice shaking. He closed his eyes, gathering courage, his instincts screaming that it was a wrong thing to do. "The truth is-"

He opened his eyes to see her leaning even nearer him and was promptly shut up by her warm lips touching his. The wind was blowing her hair in his eyes, the cinnamon scent was tickling his nose, and the warm touch of her hand paled compared to the sensation of that kiss.

It might have lasted ages, the tenderness of her lips fighting back the cold desperation in his soul, their hearts beating to same tune. She pulled back carefully, as red in the face as he was, leaving his lips tingling in the cold air.

"You don't have to tell me yet. I'll wait," she whispered. "I'll wait as long as you think you need. Just promise me to live."

"I'll try," he managed, somehow.

"It's never bad to be happy." Her voice gained a playful note. "And you know... **You** could kiss **me** for a change."

A goofy smile appeared on Harry's face, as he leaned towards her to do just that.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"I need to ask you a favour." He began, looking to the horizon, where the sun was setting down slowly.

"I'm listening." She was leaning against him, her black hair slightly messed up by the wind.

"I want you to help me say goodbye." He wasn't looking at her. "To Sirius."

She hesitated for a second.

He turned to face her. "I know you didn't even know him, but he always said that he would have liked to meet you."

"I... Do you think he wouldn't mind?"

Harry smiled a sad smile. "I think that wherever he is, he would be happy if you showed up."

"I will, if you want me to."

"I do." He planted a small kiss in her hair, like one would a flower. "It's this Sunday, Headmaster said he will provide the transportation for me, Remus, and anyone that I would like to invite. I have never been in a funeral, though. Do wizarding ones differ from muggle ways much?"

"It usually depends on many things." Her voice was calm and her presence – soothing. "As much as purebloods like to deny it, the Muggle-borns bring lots of different ways to honour the dead. But, Sirius was from an old family of wizards, so it might be a more traditional one."

"I doubt it." Harry shrugged. "He never liked his family."

"Then, your guess is as good as mine."

"I'll ask Remus. Maybe." Harry turned his gaze to the red sky and the last light of the sun. "I can't believe it's already Friday. Feels like it was yesterday. Like it was a few hours back."

"Who else is going to come?" She asked, hoping to change his trail of thoughts.

"Ron and Hermione said yes, as did Hagrid - we were visiting him as Dumbledore came to inform us about the funeral. Fred and George would probably want to pay their respects, but I haven't asked them yet. I was thinking about asking Ginny and Neville, too."

"I don't see why you shouldn't." Cho smiled. "They're your friends."

Harry mused about it for a minute. "You're right."

"Not going to ask Luna?"

Harry blinked. "Oh. Do you think I should? I barely know her, and Ron hasn't spoken one word to her since the Ball."

Cho shrugged. "I thought that Ron and Ginny were old friends with her..."

"Well, Ginny is. I don't think she-" he stilled remembering many times he saw Luna either alone, or speaking with Ginny. "Does she have any Ravenclaw friends?"

"Not really. It is hard to speak with her and she doesn't reach out to others much, herself."

"Why?" Harry realized that he didn't like that - it reminded him what would happen if everyone knew about his condition - even now people were avoiding him because of **Skeeter's** articles. "I haven't seen her with anyone but Ginny."

Cho stroked his hair a few times. "If you want to, invite Luna. She could use some company. I just wish..."

"Yes?" He saw Cho was struggling to decide whether to say something or just leave it be.

She sighed, having decided. "Well, she's kind of an outcast. I wouldn't have noticed it that much-" It was apparent that she was embarrassed to be admitting this. "It reminds me of what you said about your second year - when we didn't believe you without reason. Well, she is strange, but not **that** strange. However, people like to laugh at her sometimes... They even call her Loony."

"Is there anything we could do?"

"I tried to speak with her for a few times. Lisa laughed when I told her that Luna's shoes were missing. Marietta did too, but she did promise to help look for them."

"She loses her things often?"

"Yes." Cho was getting really uncomfortable. "Well, yes and no both, actually. People hide them sometimes... But she is slightly absent-minded and forgets where she put anything very fast, too. Still, when someone else finds her books or clothes, they usually go and hide them further and don't even think about bring them back... And Luna never goes to tell the prefect."

"What about Flitwick?"

"He had heard about it once, I think that was in my fourth year, and told us to look after each other more. No one touched her things for a few months after that. Now, however, no one has told him that there even is a problem - everyone is used to Luna looking for her things that it doesn't seem out of place when it simply takes longer."

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I... I probably should have done something before." She lowered her gaze downwards. "I just..."

Harry hugged her closer. "We'll figure something out to help her. Cho, remember that it's not your fault - you weren't hiding her things yourself, were you?"

"But I did laugh at her a few times."

"And now, you want to make it better."

"I'll tell Flitwick tomorrow." She took in a few deep breaths. "I hope he will do something..."

Harry nodded. "Everything is going to work out. Somehow."

Cho smiled. "It was good to get it off my chest. Just - I saw her today, and you know..."

"I'm there if you need me, same as you are for me."

"You are." She kissed his cheek.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry approached Ginny carefully, yet with a determined pace.

"Yes?" she asked, with a slightly confused expression. Ginny's mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts – most prominent of those was – does he want to talk about **that** evening?

"Could I talk to you about Luna?" He scratched his head, slightly uncomfortable with her presence himself.

Ginny noticed it and stiffened – it was apparent that she had muttered something out loud and he obviously heard her with his sharp hearing. "Sure," her voice waivered a little.

"Do you know anything about her things?"

"Um..." Ginny furiously had to remind herself that it was a conversation about Luna. "Well, she is kind of absent-minded. She has been almost as long as I know her." She sighed, and added almost inaudibly, "ever since her mother died."

"Her mother is dead?" He shifted uncomfortably. "Was it someone working for Voldemort?"

"No. " Ginny flinched a little at the name. "It was when she was nine. Her mother liked to experiment with magic and... I don't really know the details."

"So you don't know that people hide her clothes?"

"I always thought she just loses them?" Ginny's voice got a drop of anger in it. "Is it not enough that she doesn't have many friends, but people make fun of her even more?"

"Do you have any idea what we could do to help? Cho is going to tell Flitwick, but I don't know if that will be enough."

She glanced to the side at his 'Cho', as if fearing that she would come up from the nearest corridor. "Well, if someone is stealing her things all the time, I think you could, well," the whisper at the end was mostly inaudible, at least by human standards, "sniff him or her out?"

She feared that he would react badly, but he surprised her by sniggering and nodding. "Well, I'll see what I can do, but I cannot promise anything."

"Well, with you looking, we might notice something very quickly." She winked at him conspicuously and continued in a whisper. "Because as far as I know, you can hear and smell everything that is going on."

He froze and reddened slightly. "Sometimes I wish I couldn't."

"People should be more careful what they say out loud, and it would be alright." She was smiling a fake smile.

"Did you?" He sniffed the air, checking who could overhear – but their words were barely audible now. No one was in the immediate vicinity – people held their distance since the incident with Malfoy and now, because of Sirius' death, they were even further than before.

"Did I mean what I said?" She sighed. "Is that what you wanted to ask?"

"Well... I-" He was looking at her eyes – brown, alike Cho's, but darker and much deeper, much less familiar.

"Do you think I can forget?" Her eyes glittered with hidden pain, even deeper than he usually hid his. "I wouldn't be standing here if not for you. What do you think I meant?"

Harry reeled back as if hit in the face, but couldn't withdraw his gaze.

"But you are happy with Cho." She shifter her gaze away, giving him a second of respite. "So, let's not talk about it."

"But-"

"Was there anything **else** you wanted, Harry?" She asked out loud, meeting his gaze again – her eyes loosing the depth he had just witnessed. "I do have some homework for me to do. I suppose you do too."

"I-"

Ginny turned to the side, and took a small step. Smiling a liar's smile. "Are you feeling well, Harry?"

"I wanted to ask you to come to Sirius funeral." He managed, making her stop. "I didn't tell you everything about him, but I do wish for you-"

"You didn't." Her voice was cheerful, yet her heart wasn't in it. "You told the twins, but you didn't tell me. I had to get the story from them. I always figured you would do it yourself, or, at the very least, Hermione would say something."

"I always figured you knew..." He shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologise, you're just another **brother**, who simply forgot to tell his **little** **sister **something." She started walking away, fast, so that he wouldn't see the tears in her eyes, leaving Harry standing open mouthed. Moments before getting away from his view, she turned on her heel to face him once more. "I'll be there, whenever that is, if you still want me to."

And then he was alone in the corridor.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Following the scents was easy and came to him as a second nature, thus it took him less than half an hour to find Neville. The Gryffindor was in the greenhouses, planting seeds in an empty patch, when Harry entered.

Herbology was one of the lessons that challenged his senses with different scents, it wasn't as bad as Potions, but he always had the scent numbing potion at hand, just in case. After a few seconds of disorientation, however, he managed to get the scents under control. Sniffing the air for a few times, he realized what else was out of place.

"Neville," he called, startling the boy. "Is it safe to go near that?"

'That' was a small pulsing bush with a red shoelace peeking out of its roots.

Neville looked at the plant and laughed. "That one is harmless." And then, Harry was treated to a small Herbology lecture about the plant. He patiently waited till the end (it took ten minutes at most) and approached it, slowly, watching. Then, he grabbed the shoelace and pulled.

There was a quiet burp and he was rewarded with two slightly wet shoes bound together by their shoelaces - one of them brown and the other orange, but both of them exactly the same size and shape. The plant didn't seem to mind much.

Neville blinked. "Whose are those?"

"Luna's" Harry sighed. "I think."

"Why did she leave them here?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm really not the one you should ask that."

Neville smiled. Harry's lips twitched in turn.

"You know, I wanted to ask you something-" Harry began.

"I haven't gotten them yet," Neville interrupted; slight disappointment echoing in his voice. "But Gran probably is looking for them as we speak."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, confused, and tried to place the words. "Oh. Well, it's not about the photos - I won't mind if you can't get any. I actually came to ask you something else."

Neville nodded, waiting.

"I'd like you to ask to accompany me to Sirius funeral." Harry was watching Nevilles face light up with worry, then relief and surprise, in a matter of seconds. "It will be tomorrow if you are up for it."

Neville blinked a few times.

"I'm sorry it's so sudden, I just heard about it only yesterday myself."

"Why me?"

"Well, whatever you believe," said Harry with a small, genuine smile. "You are a friend."

"I. I will." Neville was beaming at him. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Well, and now I have to bring these..." He raised the pair of shoes in air. "To Luna. Want to help me find her?"

"I'd love to, but..." Neville trailed off for a second, glancing around the greenhouse. "If I'm not here tomorrow, I'd like to finish planting them today."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Luna was skipping down the stairs, when he called her from bellow.

"Luna! I was looking for you everywhere."

She blinked, and quickened her pace towards him. He waited for her patiently at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hello, Harry," she almost sung out in a dreamy voice. "These are my shoes."

He nodded. "I wanted to give them back."

Her eyes were wide as saucers. "Thank you."

The shoes changed hands.

"I found them at the greenhouses."

"I knew I should have checked there - you wouldn't believe what certain creatures like to hide there."

"Maybe," he said carefully. "This might seem like a strange request, but... Would you like to come to my Godfather's funeral?"

She pouted. "I expected stranger, but alright, I'll come."

She turned around and started walking further, now clutching her colourful boots in her hands.

Harry scratched his head - it didn't seem that Luna was there for the most of the conversation.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He opened the doors to Moony's office carefully. It was still decorated with Mad-Eye's detectors; even the trunk with many locks was in place.

However, there was an old and crumpled photo of Sirius, James and Remus displayed on the table, and at the side of the room, there was a small, battered case held together with a large quantity of neatly knotted string. The name _Professor R. J. Lupin_ was stamped across one corner in peeling letters.

Seeing Harry's gaze, Remus smiled lightly. "Didn't exactly have time to change anything, but at least I managed to bring my things to the Castle since your last visit."

Harry nodded and looked at what appeared to be a mirror, hung opposite Harry on the wall, but it was not reflecting the room. Shadowy figures were moving around inside it, none of them clearly in focus.

"That's a Foe-Glass. It should show your enemies, whenever they are doing something. However it's not known for its exact warnings and is important only when the figures come in front."

"You said you could teach me about duelling."

"What is your progress with the second task?" Remus seemingly ignored his question.

"I'm fine. I want to learn to duel, to learn how to fight better."

Remus shook his head. "Did you solve the clue already?"

"Yes." Harry opened his mouth and closed it again. "Why do you ask?"

"So, what is the second task?"

"We will have to dive into the Lake and find what was stolen from us."

"How are you solving the breathing problem?"

"Bubble-Head Charm. Cho knew about it, we both have learned it by now."

"Both?" Moony allowed himself another smile.

"She's a Ravenclaw - she had to learn it to explain it better."

"What are you going to do, if the Charm fails while you're under water?"

"Cast it again?" Harry wasn't exactly sure.

"Cast underwater it would hold for ten, maybe five minutes. And it's difficult to pronounce it correctly with a mouth full of water. It'd be best if you learned to cast it wordlessly." Remus scratched his head. "It's difficult, but if you try to work on that whenever you have some free time, I believe that you could manage. Shouldn't be harder than managing a Patronus."

"Anything else?"

"Well, you'll probably need to cast from inside the bubble. Did you practice your any spells while under the Charm?"

"Well, no, but... How is this going to help me?"

"Harry, you're going about this from a wrong way. You have to be safe in the tournament. You have some time left to prepare. Don't throw it away trying to learn something for offence - learn everything you need to survive whatever the tournament might throw at you. It will take care of your duelling basics. At least, now we have a plan for today."

Remus motioned to the centre of the room, smiling. "Cast the Bubble-Head Charm, and then we'll revise the defence curriculum. You'll find that it might be harder for you to concentrate with scents blocked, but if that's easy for you, we will try again, with a weaker Charm..."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Sunday morning, he got up early, nor really able to get asleep. He would have a chance to say goodbye to Sirius, but he didn't really know what to expect. Harry checked his feelings and fount that after a full week, he had no idea if he was still grieving or not. His friends had gone out of the way to make him smile, and beside a few moments, the last day was like any other day. Just... without Sirius.

Sirius would probably have liked that he had found at least some peace. Harry sighed – the gap left by Sirius' absence hurt, but like the pain of the transformation, it would fade after a while.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>There were a few lines from Rowling's Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire. As always, I didn't mark them as not to interfere with the flow.<p> 


	23. The Water

**Disclaimer**: Rowling Potter.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXIII

The Water

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The Sunday morning was calm, a small wind circling the castle, playing with the waking sun. Harry, even having gotten up early, was feeling quite rested – that was something he didn't expect. He felt collected and even peaceful, yet he had no idea when that could change. His wolf was respectfully silent - somehow he understood that this day was dedicated to saying goodbye to a member of the pack, and even while he didn't feel the full need for human way of expressing things, he didn't interfere. Was it his wolf giving in to his human side, or was it a sign of deeper understanding between them? Harry didn't know.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

It all started slowly – during breakfast, he found that everyone he talked to about the funeral went to sit near him. Cho and Hermione sat on his sides, both the girls with sad look in their eyes. Ron was sitting next to Hermione, and eating less than he usually did. George was sitting opposite to him, flanked by Ginny and Fred. Neville arrived reluctantly, but with a determined stride and joined the table on Harry's side. Luna was the one to hesitate the most, but Ginny waved for her and even went as far as to grab her hand to make her sit down.

It was a secret everybody knew – that it was a date for Sirius' funeral, and Harry was surprised when Cedric came to shake his hand, but muttered an almost inaudible thanks. And Cedric wasn't the only one – Marietta gave him a quick half of a hug, and then went on to hug Cho and whisper something to her. Harry was too surprised by the hug, so he missed a few words, but heard something about her believing him too. Creevey brothers were keeping distance, but nodded in his general direction when they saw him glance at them. Even Viktor Krum found time for a few words – offering that Harry should be strong, and shouldn't allow the loss to interfere with the tournament. Harry had no idea how to react to that, so he just shook an offered hand, listening to the numerous whispers in the Hall.

Dumbledore arrived slightly late. He stood before the Great Hall, and offered everyone to raise their goblets to Sirius Black, a former Gryffindor, who endured the prison without any reason, and that the wizarding community owed at least recognition of his bravery and heroism. The students were stunned with such a declaration, yet there were those, who did raise a glass to the headmaster's words, of course, most of those were Gryffindors. Harry felt slightly moved by the gesture. His friends, of course, were among those who did raise the drinks, Sirius name on their lips.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Afterwards, the nine of them were joined by Professor McGonagall, her expression slightly unfocused. She offered condolences to Harry and apologised for the staff, stating that most of them want to pay their own respects to the falsely accused man, thus making the funeral a bit less private than Harry probably wanted. However, Harry simply held Cho's hand and assured that he didn't think Sirius would have minded. McGonagall seemed moved by his words and muttered something about James and Sirius always being her favourite Gryffindors. Fred and George tried to look insulted, but then realised that it wasn't the right time.

Remus was already waiting outside, not entering the Great Hall unless absolutely necessary – Harry figured he just didn't want the whispers about werewolves to sound in the Hall. Then, both he and Harry would be uncomfortable. To their credit, no one from the group seemed to treat Remus any different, at least, for that day. Harry was grateful for that.

Flitwick joined them next, and after nodding to Potter, he took a few steps towards Luna and asked her about her mood. Luna, with an absentminded voice assured him that she is sad about Sirius and is there because being with everyone feels like she is wanted. Filius blinked a few times after her words and assured her, that he will look after her more. Luna smiled and pointed out that it was unnecessary as Ginny and her friends were already looking after her. Filius gave Gryffindor thirty points that very second.

A few other teachers joined them together with Dumbledore, one of those, Cho and Hermione whispered him almost at the same time, was professor Vector. There was Aurora Sinistra, who apparently had been at her seventh year when Sirius started Hogwarts. Sprout only said that she was very sorry for believing that Sirius could have been a bad wizard, and simply excused herself, not wanting to intrude more, even as Harry had already fallen into the habit of assuring everyone that it would be alright. Hagrid was looming above everyone, sniffling. The man was telling to everyone in the hearing distance that he should have known that Sirius wasn't a bad wizard, and was sorry to hold such an unfair man about the man who was the same as he - an innocent man, convicted by the Ministry.

After looking around and declaring that everyone expressing a want to join were present, Dumbledore took out a thin, silver tinted rope, and gave it for everyone to hold. Everyone were suddenly yanked forward and were gone with a howl of wind and swirl of smells.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry certainly didn't expect to arrive at the small, seemingly insignificant lake, where an old shed stood alone at the edge of the woods. Looking around for a few moments realized that the nearby forest had been used as a safe place for the full moons – quite a few trees were marked with old bite-marks, already fading into the bark. Judging by the very faint scents, the last time someone changed there was more than a year ago – only a shade, an imagined scent had remained.

Remus quickly explained that Sirius was thinking of building a house there, but as he was renting the place from Muggles, it never was even started, with the war and everything else going on. The Muggles owning the place agreed to let them say goodbye to Sirius at a place where he lived since his seventeenth birthday.

The wizards arriving from Hogwarts weren't the only ones there – there was a fair-haired, big-bellied man and a woman with thick, shining dark hair and bright and kind eyes – the couple introduced themselves as Ted and Andromeda Tonks. Harry remembered the name from the will, and was interested to know what the relation between them and his godfather was. He was treated to the abridged story of the Black family, where every good wizard was, apparently, cast out of the family as soon as possible. Their daughter, a young witch with dark gray hair and a heart-shaped face, looked slightly out of her element, and muttered something about only barely remembering Sirius from her childhood – apparently Sirius had visited 'his favourite cousin Andromeda' at least once every two months. Harry liked the family, probably because his wolf liked their scents. Still, he was slightly hesitant to talk to them openly – they were being too friendly a bit too fast for his instincts.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

There was no exact tradition for Wizard funerals, however, one thing was almost consistent throughout the different ceremonies – the bodies were usually wrapped in silk or velvet, as the wizards didn't like to look at the faces of their dead when paying respects. This way, they felt more secure with their own life as well as making it easier to say farewell.

Sirius' body was wrapped in silk wrappings, red and gold, forever the Gryffindor in the family of Snakes. It lay, unmoving on a small, white wooden boat. After a few short speeches Harry didn't even try to remember – he only held onto the feeling of warmth and realization that he wasn't mourning alone – Remus raised his wand and the boat burst into flames. Only then did Harry let a few tears out, his eyes glittering with that bright fire, his moving lips promising silent revenge, Cho's hand held firmly in his.

After the flames died out, there was a silvery specter of the boat in the middle of the small lake, with even, glittering golden letters on its side, easily visible from the shore for any Wizard, who would ever come there.

**Here rests Sirius Black**

**The Brightest Star in the Black Sky, both in his Life and Death**

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The whole funeral having felt like a bad, yet somewhat comforting dream, Harry finally started to feel like he was awake. The scents started to be clear, the conversations easier to follow and remember.

"Is it alright, leaving a marker in such a visible place?"

Cho ran her hand over back, gently, calming him down as through the whole funeral. "It's a muggle place, so wizards don't come here often. And muggles can't see the it."

Harry took a deep breath. "I think it's a right place for him, then."

"It is," Remus interjected from behind. "It was the first place he had for himself, and I think it is good that it's also the last."

"I'm going to miss him a lot." Harry whispered. "I wish it wouldn't have happened, that Sirius would be with us, laughing and smiling."

"He is going to watch over us, in his own way. As long as we keep him in our hearts." Remus smiled slightly and went to talk with Tonks' family.

They returned back to the castle not very long afterwards.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He saw Neville in the common room, reading some kind of Herbology book about Mediterranean plants. As he got nearer, Neville noticed him and marked the page he was reading with a small folded slip of paper and started furiously flapping the pages, searching for something.

"Hello, Neville." Harry smiled at the Gryffindor. "What are you looking for?"

Neville, however, let out a gasp of fear as a small photo fell out of the book, and started falling. Harry caught it without even pausing for thought and wanted to hand it back for Neville, but the boy didn't move to take it. "It's yours now."

Harry raised his eyebrow and turned the photo up, to look at it.

The people in the photo were sitting in some kind of pub, probably the Leaky Cauldron, near a table that was obviously too small for their company to fit properly. He immediately recognised Remus, laughing at Sirius, saw Wormtail staring at his godfather holding an empty glass of Butterbeer, the contents of which were firmly planted on the front of Sirius' robes. On the side of the picture, there was his mother, smile on her face, looking at the one taking the photograph, most probably James, Harry realised, as her eyes were glittering with affection. Next to Lily, there was a couple, he recognised quite easily - Neville's parents. Neville's mother had a round, friendly face mirroring the face of her son. Neville's father was partially obscured in the picture, as his wife was sitting on his lap, but the merry expression and his eyes were mirrored in the boy, sitting just before Harry.

"Thank you," he whispered, looking at the picture once again, seeing everyone sitting at the table, and after Wormtail's wild fling of the arm, the butterbeer poured on Sirius lap for the millionth time since the picture was taken. The Rat being in the picture was angering him slightly, but everything else was pushing the anger away. "Our parents were friends, weren't they?"

Neville shrugged."I don't really know - there are a few photos of them together, but I don't know if they spent much time together. I might be wrong but I think your father and godfather both tried to become Aurors once, but dropped out after a year of training. If I'm not mistaken, Black lasted a few months longer." Neville shrugged. "Gran doesn't tell me much, and photos don't talk."

"My father wanted to be an Auror?" Harry scratched his chin. "Sirius never mentioned it."

Neville looked apologetic. "Sorry, I can't tell for sure. I didn't even know about this picture, Gran never showed me that one."

Harry looked uncomfortable. "I can't take this, then."

"She said she made a copy." Neville smiled. "I wrote her what Dumbledore told us about Sirius and that you would like his picture, and suddenly she found a few I have never seen before. All the ones having your godfather in them. I'll give you the others later, but this one has your mother, so..."

"Do you know when it was taken?" Harry grinned, as Neville shook his head. "Let's go and ask."

"What?" Neville was gaping.

"Moony- I mean, Remus is in the castle. I bet there's a story there."

"I don't want to intrude, and I barely know Professor Lupin..." Neville tried.

"Nonsense - you're a friend, and you were with us in the funeral." Harry was insistent. "And you're going to hear something about your parent's too."

Neville thought about it for a few seconds, then closed the book and nodded. "I'll just bring this to our room."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Remus was reading a book on the Wizarding Law, when Harry and Neville knocked, but quickly shoved it into the drawer of the table as they were opening the door.

"Harry," Remus smiled, lightly. "Neville. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Harry showed him the photo and saw a flicker of anger that was quickly replaced by nostalgia and warmth in Lupin's eyes. "Do you know anything about it?"

Remus closed his eyes. "I think it's the day we really met Frank and Alice. I mean, Frank was a prefect in his sixth year when we got into Hogwarts as first-years, and Alice was a year behind him and yet another prefect, and all the talking we did with them was only when they caught us through the years. They decided to go into the Auror training just after school, and went through with flying colours. Only after we graduated, and Sirius had a crazy idea to follow their footsteps, did we start to get along. Well, Lily had been friendlier with Alice than anyone else, but probably only because Alice didn't have to chide her. So, when Dumbledore introduced us, Lily served as a go-between. Afterwards, we all went to the Leaky Cauldron to talk about... I don't really remember what we were talking about, but Sirius and James mentioned that they were thinking of trying out for Auror training and Frank became really enthusiastic. Said something about fools finally growing up. I think that was the moment when Peter," drawn into the story, Remus didn't use 'Wormtail' or 'Rat' and the name came out easily, without a usual flinch. "-decided to introduce Butterbeer with Sirius clothes."

Remus laughed, his eyes wide open now. "It was a good timing and Sirius' expression..." He took another look at the photo. "Yeah, that one there."

Neville grinned and Harry let out a guffaw. "So, my father wanted to be an Auror?"

Remus shook his head. "It was Sirius, who wanted to be an Auror. James... he never had a real need to work anything, but he figured that since Sirius followed him into Gryffindors, he could follow him into the Aurors."

"But... They didn't finish the training?" Neville asked shyly.

"No." Remus smiled warmly at the boy. "James, well, he had Lily to take care off, and Sirius couldn't concentrate without James there. Or at least, that was his excuse at the time. As far as I remember, Frank was slightly disappointed, but understood." Remus hesitated for a few moements, but then continued. "Do you know about the Order?"

Neville shook his head, as Harry nodded and added, "not much, though."

"The two of you, I think, are the ones most deserving to know," Remus tapped the table silently. "The Order of Phoenix is an organization that Dumbledore created, trying to fight Voldemort."

Neville flinched slightly, but didn't say anything.

"Your parents, all four of them, were part of the Order. Frank and Alice, had their hands full as Aurors, so sometimes it fell to James and Sirius to stand in their stead. With all the war going on, they really didn't have time for training, and James did say that Lily was getting annoyed with his recklessness. She went out to help a few times herself, but James and Sirius did go where it was most dangerous."

"What about you?" Harry quietly asked.

Remus shuffled his legs uncomfortably. "Sometimes I helped them together with Peter. I had other tasks to do to Dumbledore, and Peter only ever went when James of Sirius asked him to. He was against us joining the Order, but did his part." Remus frowned. "Till he got scared and ran to Voldemort."

"He is going to get what he's earned someday." Harry said with a low grow. "As well as Crouch."

Neville snapped his head towards Harry on 'Crouch'. "Good," he added, barely audible.

Remus eyes filled with recognition and grief. He put his hand on Neville's shoulder and squeezed it for a second. "Don't worry – it's just a matter of time till he pays for his crimes. All of them."

Neville nodded, and turned to Harry, who was looking at them confused.

"What...?" Harry muttered.

"My parents..." Neville took a deep breath and continued even more quietly than before. "They were tortured - to insanity."

"By Voldemort?" Harry also found himself whispering. "And Crouch?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange and Barty Crouch Junior." Remus harsh voice almost made Neville jump. "They took whatever friends I might have had after I lost the four I did have. I remember them."

Neville nodded. "I'd appreciate if you didn't tell everyone."

"Of course," Harry put his hand over his chest. "I swear."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Cho was slowly looking through the shelves, tracing her finger on the book covers. Then, as if feeling something, she turned and saw Remus Lupin near the same shelf she had just been looking through.

She still didn't exactly know how to behave with the man, so she just smiled lightly at him. "Good evening, Professor."

"Miss Chang," his tone was strangely formal, yet the words were not. "Preparing for your O.W.L.s?"

"Yes."

"As far as I know, you should have no troubles with Defence." He remarked, sliding a book out of the shelf and wrapping his arm around it. Cho didn't have to read a title to know that it was about Ministry's regulations on Dark Creatures.

"Thank you, sir." She nodded her head slightly.

"You can call me Remus, while we're not in class." He smiled lightly, his voice softening. "Are you reading for Care of Magical Creatures? I thought you didn't choose it as elective?"

"Yes," she blushed slightly. "I am thinking about sitting through the O.W.L.s just the same."

"Actually, I did the same with the subject." His smile became radiating. "As well as Muggle Studies."

"Oh?"

"Well, the Muggle Studies one was actually a bet Sirius and I had with James – neither of us had taken the subject, but we figured trying to pass the O.W.L. wouldn't hurt. I actually won that one. Probably because I had some muggle relatives. James failed, if you were interested – the single failed exam in his studies, and the only one Peter scored better than all three of us."

Cho grinned.

"Well, I'm not going to hold you any longer." Remus took out another book from the shelf – some tome with the compendium of legislations issued by the Ministry of Magic in 1993.

"Sir," her voice stopped him from going away, her eyes looking at the cover of the book he held in his hand. "Did you take the O.W.L. in Muggle studies because you thought that you'd have to work and live there?"

"At the time, I didn't think it would be that bad." His gaze became slightly muddled. "But I did take the N.E.W.T. level exam because of that. Didn't help much, though – it was horribly outdated."

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I never realized it was this bad for you."

"Dumbledore is trying to help as much as he can." Remus shrugged. "This job is something I never imagined myself doing. It's the most one of... ah... our kind has achieved."

"Do other werewolves look at you with pride?" She asked and bit her tongue. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's alright." Lupin shook his head. "It's really hard to know what they are thinking. But I am receiving letters from angry wizards every day."

"It's horrible." She muttered in a hushed voice, but he heard her perfectly.

"It's life." He gestured to the books. "I'm sorry, Miss Chang, but I want to read a few chapters today. I wish you good luck with your studies."

And he left her there, thinking to herself. Then, with a purposeful stride, she took a few steps forward and took out a fat brown tome off the shelf. Then, she started turning pages and reading them as quickly as she could.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>There were a few lines from Rowling's Order of the Phoenix and Goblet of Fire. As always, I didn't mark them as not to interfere with the flow.<p> 


	24. The Lake

**Disclaimer**: Harry Rowling.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXIV

The Lake

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry was in a peculiar bind. It was something that could have been solved with a simple letter to Sirius, but now, he was alone, left to with the problem himself. The fourteenth of February was getting nearer by each passing second, and he felt like he had to repay for the support he had gained through all these days. Cho was his pillar for strength whenever he felt weak, and now he had to think of something.

He entertained the idea about asking Hermione or Ginny for advice, but then again, he didn't really know how to speak with Ginny anymore, and Hermione might have been smart, but she wouldn't give the advice Harry wanted to hear.

So, he was laying on the carpet in the Gryffindor Common room, with an Owl Order Service catalogue before him, trying to come up with something, when he smelled Ginny approaching.

"Ginny," he said without raising his head, knowing that they were alone in the room. "How are you?"

"You know," she ignored the question. "I should probably stop being surprised when you smell us from afar."

Harry smiled, at the catalogue, as Ginny was still behind him and couldn't see his expression.

"Are you going to sleep soon?" she asked yawning. "Would you mind if I stayed here to read?"

"Go ahead."

"What are you reading? Something about Defence again?" She asked as she sat down on the nearby couch, trying to sound as normal as possible, while berating herself for speaking at all.

"No, not this time." Harry turned his head around, looking at her for the first time since she came down, took in her tired expression and haunted depths of her eyes. "Don't you want to sleep?"

She shook her head. "I will simply read up on..." She had to glance down to tell. "Herbology."

Harry tuned his head back to the catalogue, turning pages.

"Not going to answer my question?"

"Oh," Harry shrugged. "Just browsing through the Owl Order list."

She nodded, even though he couldn't see her, and tried to read the book she brought with herself. It was very boring, but sleep wasn't coming. She was too distracted by Harry's still form by the fire. He seemed like he was trying to relax, but still there was tension in his limbs – it was probably difficult for him not to be on guard.

Ginny thought that he simply must have been feeling her gaze. She was absentmindedly stroking her book, not really paying any attention to the Herbology anymore. In a way, with, Harry in the room, she felt safer than alone in the dormitory bed, with darkness surrounding her. She yawned a few times, and slumped against the back of the couch, her head comfortably laid back.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry allowed himself to get distracted by the fire, and had actually been only watching the flames for half an hour, without even turning a single page. Then, he heard Ginny mutter something with a scared voice.

He jumped up, his wolf ready to leap to help his pack, but then he realized that she was simply having a nightmare. Not really sure what he should be doing, he closed the two step distance between them. There was a scent of strawberries and salt assailing his nose. Ginny's eyes were moving sporadically behind the closed eyelids, her body tensed and twitching.

"...going to save..." she was muttering something.

Harry placed a hand on her shoulder thinking of waking her up, but then, she suddenly grabbed it. And she didn't wake.

"Harry," she whispered her breathing suddenly calmer than before, his hand latched onto as hard as she could. Only then she did open her eyes. There were tears in her eyes, and she, probably not yet fully awake, dragged herself upwards and hugged him on his waist, placing her cheek oh his chest. "I knew you woud-."

She stilled and jumped back, releasing him, and falling awkwardly back on the couch. "Sorry. I..."

"It's alright," he muttered, slightly embarrassed. "You were having a bad dream."

"I'm sorry." She shook her head a bit, trying to fully wake up. "It was warm, and I didn't even notice..."

He crossed his hands. "Do you sleep at all?"

"Some." She was rubbing her tears off. "It," she looked uncomfortable saying it. "Actually, it wasn't as bad as they usually go."

Harry took a long look at her haunted eyes. "I think you should tell Pomfrey."

She laughed. "No, it simply comes and goes. Most potions that help are addictive – and it's not that bad. Really."

"Ginny." He exhaled. "I don't want you to suffer – is there something I could do to help?"

She blushed, and shifted to lie down more comfortably, the Herbology book falling down with a quiet thud.

"Ginny?" He looked at her questioningly.

"I still feel sleepy," she admitted, yawning. "Would you mind staying a bit more?"

Harry shrugged. "If it will help..."

"It will. Sit down somewhere, stay for a few minutes."

He complied, sitting on the carpet, his back leaned on the couch she was sleeping on. He turned his head slightly to the side so he could see her face better. "I'll stay, then."

"Good." She smiled, and reached out to lightly touch his shoulder. "Thank you. Goodnight, Harry."

He sighed and nodded, sitting there, watching the fire burn, guarding his pack.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

She was the first to wake up – it was an early morning, and she hadn't slept much, but it was one of the best rests she ever had. She had used the feel of Harry's presence to chase away the bad dreams. At first, she didn't see Harry at all, so she thought that he had left at some point. However, she quickly was proven wrong, as he was sprawled on the carpet, breathing long and peaceful breaths.

Apparently, he had been almost as tired as she had been. Ginny stretched her arms, carefully, silently. No one should have been awake yet, but prefects didn't like to find people sleeping in the common room. Of course, no perfects would reprimand Harry, but she was another thing entirely – and a girl. Girls were expected to stay in their dormitories at night.

She listened to the silence, only a weak flame was crackling in the fireplace, and she yawned a good morning yawn. Harry moved with it, his legs twitching on the carpet. He can't have been very comfortable. She reached out to wake him, then stopped and touched his hair, caressing it gently. Harry twitched his arms a little and she quickly moved to touch his shoulder gently.

He jumped up at that last touch, eyes quickly darting around the room, sniffing the air. She jumped back, startled, but started laughing.

Harry flushed red.

"Good morning." She grinned at him. "Sorry, I didn't expect you to stay the whole night."

Harry stretched his arms a little. "I never thought I was this tired."

"I'll find a way to make it up to you someday," she was smiling a warm smile.

He shook his head. "No – you're doing enough already. It was me making up to you."

"I." She ran her hand through her own hair, slightly tangled from the seep. "Thank you."

"Did you sleep well?"

"It was like dancing on the clouds." She laughed. "I'm going upstairs; I don't want anyone to see me."

"You should probably be safe." He sniffed the air. "Only some first-years are awake, I think."

She hugged him, shortly and darted up the stairs, mischievous grin on her face, hair flailing about.

He snickered himself, and picked up the catalogue from the ground, placing it on the nearby desk, together with Ginny's Herbology book. "Like on the clouds." He grinned, having a very simple idea finally come to him.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Cho had woken up slightly earlier than usual, and was already heading to have breakfast. With the whole Triwizard tournament, Rodger had no training sessions planned for Sunday mornings, but it was already a habit to have early breakfast together with Marietta.

She exited the common room, to walk right into someone.

"Sorry," she mouthed, and then grinned with surprise fumbling a step. "Harry?"

He laughed lightly, and caught her hand, spinning her lightly to the side with a few steps. "Good morning, Cho."

Then, he kissed the hand he was holding, with some over-the-top grace, and released it, a red rose appearing in his fingertips, with a wave of his wand, held in another hand. She laughed as he twisted it between his fingers, making most of the stem disappear, and giving her another second to admire it. After that, he reached to her and pinned it onto her hair.

"Thank you, but," she was silenced by Harry's finger on her lips.

"You look stunning today. Trust me." He put his wand back into the pocket, and leaned forward a little, taking in the scent of rosy cinnamon. "Happy Valentine's Day. And I wanted to say that..." Harry took a deeper breath. "I love you."

He kissed her, lightly, gently, yet making her toes curl. She quickly caught him into a hug, to hold him there and after he backed away, she kissed him back once more.

There was a quiet wolf-whistle from behind them, and they both turned to see a laughing Marietta. "You can continue, don't mind me."

Harry shuffled uncomfortably, but Cho just laughed it off. He liked when she laughed like it – a thousand tiny bells ringing in her voice. His heart was beating fast, yet it was a pleasant feeling.

"Would you mind much," she told Marietta with a smile. "If I spent this breakfast with this handsome school champion?"

"Only if you don't mind me spending my breakfast with mine." Marietta showed them her tongue and started walking down the stairs. "Don't spend all your morning here – you'll be blocking the entrance."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

They were walking near the lake, dressed in Quidditch practise uniforms, yet without all the protections that the uniform usually carried. It was actually Harry's suggestion, after they had their breakfast at the Ravenclaw table.

"Thanks for coming." He bowed his head a little.

"Well, I had many reasons," she started playfully. "When a dashing wizard, who is the school Champion, and an incredible Seeker, asks you to fly around for a bit, you can't simply say no."

"Do you want to try out the Firebolt?" He asked, grinning, still on the ground.

"Can I?" She laughed. "I thought you didn't want anyone to fly it?"

"I don't think Sirius would have liked me keeping it only to myself." Harry's words had a hit of bitterness, but not as much as there could have been.

"Don't mind me if I do," Cho tried to sound careless, but when she took the broom from him, she was a bit too careful, as if afraid that she might break it. Then, looking a bit apologetically, gave him her Comet.

To her amusement, he took her broom as carefully as she took his. He ran his hand through the slick wood, remembering the handbook for broomcare, that he got form Hermione a more than a year ago. Cho's comet was a shining example of perfect care. "I'm afraid to even try flying it," he admitted.

Cho gaped. "It's just a Comet 260. You're giving me the _Firebolt_."

"I know." He hesitantly sat on it – not a Firebolt, yet comfortable. "I'm afraid I'm going to ruin the hours you spent taking care of it."

"Your Firebolt looks as good as new, too."

"It's not because of me – they are charmed this way."

"Maybe we should stop worrying," she proposed. "And simply try flying?"

They zoomed upwards, taking it slow, yet Cho was quickly in the lead.

"It's so fast!" she shouted joyfully. "Incredible!"

"I know!" He threw caution out of the window, and caught up with her.

She dived downwards in a barrel roll, while Harry simply was getting used to the broom.

Comet wasn't the fastest broom there was, and in fact, was one of the older ones. Yet, its braking charm was still of incredibly good quality and Harry soon found himself enjoying an older broom. He did a few spins, and then flew up as fast as the broom allowed him, then, he plunged down towards the lake.

Cho noticed his manoeuvre and joined his mad plunge in the middle – Firebolt was a tad bit faster. She overtook him, and swerved before touching the surface, leaving a good two meters of reserve. Harry, however, held till the very last second and spinning slightly to the he side actually touched the water with his outstretched hand, leaving a rippling trail on the surface.

"You're mad!" she shouted at him, not angry one bit. "Were you trying to dive into the lake?"

"Well... I'm preparing." He grinned at her, and spun his broom around, flying above her, while he was dangling under the broom. "You know, for the tournament?"

She started laughing wildly, barely keeping the Firebolt steady. "It's not going to work if you dive into the lake with a broom. Brooms don't work underwater."

"They don't?" He was again beside her, this time flying normally, feigning disappointment. "I thought I could get away with using a broomstick in each task."

"You're trying to make Krum jealous?" She leaned to the left, starting to fly in a huge circle.

Harry was following her closely, mirroring each manoeuvre, staying within a distance outstretched hand. "No." He finally answered. "Just enjoying the flight."

"Do you want to make it a bit more interesting?" She asked, stopping mid air, and rummaging her pockets for a small box. "Here."

He was looking at it questionably, until the the box opened and a small glittering Golden Snitch jumped out, and raced up into the air, heading towards the clouds. Harry raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well... What are you waiting for?" She asked, ready to head off. "Your broom is the slower one now."

Harry laughed, and they started moving again, at the same time, Cho quickly getting in the lead. However, even as fast as they had started, the Snitch had an even bigger advantage, and quickly got lost in the clouds.

They both were circling each other, watching the lake bellow, and trying to see the glimmer of gold. Here, Harry was better – he briefly wondered how on Earth he had been playing Seeker before – the glasses had corrected his vision, but they did conceal a lot of the surroundings. Now, he had a full range of vision, and it was a lot easier to see the Snitch dancing into the edge of his vision. His eyes fixed onto the target, he tried to steal a glance at Cho, and when he saw her looking away, he darted down with all the speed that the Comet could manage.

It was still a racing broom, so when Cho started zooming after him, he had quite a lead. The Snitch, however, didn't want to get caught by either of them, and was trying it's best to escape. The surface of the lake was getting nearer by the second, and the Snitch seemed to be interested in the Durmstrang ship.

It was but a small gap to the Snitch left to cross when Cho got in the lead, her arm outstretched, reaching for it. Harry tried his best, but it was obvious that she would be the first one to reach it. Then, the Snitch suddenly changed direction, forcing them both to swerve out of the way, heading by the side of the ship. Here, the advantage went back to Harry, as Cho hadn't adjusted as well to the great speed of Firebolt as he had to the slower Comet.

The Snitch stopped, suddenly, and after a moment of hesitation, darted to the left and down, towards the side Cho chose. Harry knew his broom wouldn't turn in time, and without really thinking it through, he jumped. To be fair, he mostly just let his broom go on without him while trying to reach to the left as much as possible.

His fingers closed on the small ball, and he felt Cho's fingers brush his, saw the surprise in her face and with a loud splash he was in the water.

There was a shout of his name, but it was muffled by the water. It was cold, imposing and his wolf was starting to panic, however he managed to focus and quickly understood which way the surface was. He emerged from the cold water to hear laud laughter. Surprisingly, this wasn't Cho – her expression was a mixture of shock and awe, and after seeing that he was alright, she darted to catch the Comet form landing into the lake, heading towards him afterwards.

The laughter belonged to one international Quidditch star, a certain Viktor Krum, who was standing high up on the ship, watching Harry's attempts to look dignified. Next to him, hand on her mouth was standing none other, but Hermione Granger.

"Harry Potter!" She huffed at him.

"I've got this." Cho interrupted her, hovering just above Harry, with another broom in hand. "Here, grab onto the Comet."

Viktor was still laughing. Hermione nudged him with her elbow trying to make him stop.

Harry got out of the water, still holding the Snitch, dripping wet, and sneezed.

"You should haf caught it vif your teef." Krum was trying not to laugh as much as he could, but a few snickers still escaped him. "I see you are training."

"Don't you dare to get a cold." Cho was calmly casting drying and warming charms at the wet Champion. "If you do, I'm not helping you to brew a Pepperup."

"Sorry." Harry mumbled, feeling the warmth spreading down his body. "I'm not going to do that again."

"It's alright. I love you, because you put your heart into everything." She grinned. "But only if you're not high and catch the Snitch."

Hermione looked horrified. "You're both mad."

"They are Seekers." Krum let out another guffaw. "It's in our blood."

Harry shook his head around, trying to get of the water faster, not really noticing that he landed a few drops on Cho. He tried to look apologetic, but was too happy to do that properly.

She sighed. "You know, I was figuring we could have another go, but I think that's enough excitement for one day."

Harry nodded, laughing merrily.

He tried to give her the Snitch, but she shook her heard. "No, keep it. I was thinking of catching it and giving it to you anyway, and even if you ruined that chance, it's yours."

"Isn't it expensive, though?"

"No," she answered merrily, handing him the box. "It's been used before, and I have been using it for a while to train, so don't worry about it."

Krum leaned forward over the rail of the ship. "Vat about the Seeker competition?"

Cho looked slightly taken aback. "I understand you'd like a go with Harry, but me and Diggory?"

"You're a brilliant Seeker." Harry interrupted before Viktor could answer. "You almost caught it before I did."

"Almost."

"You did very vell," Krum supplied. "Vas this first time on a Firebolt?"

Cho nodded, happy with the praise.

"It is a tricky broom to handle – people think they can do more. I don't haff it because I vin vif skill," Viktor's voice was proud. "You **both** haff enough skill and Diggory von against Potter once. I think in two veeks ve could test each other. Here - over the lake."

Cho, hovering just before the ship, to be in the same height as Viktor and Hermione, glanced at Harry. He was already looking at her, excitement in his eyes.

"Yes." They said at the same time.

"Good." Viktor grinned. "Tell Diggory to be ready."

"We will," Harry promised. "We will be there. Well, unless one of the three Seeker Champions gets injured in the task."

"Do not get hurt, then." Viktor clapped his hands in excitement. "I vill be vaiting."

Hermione lightly touched Krum's shoulder. "Since they are here, maybe you could show us around the ship? I have heard you use very interesting enchantments..."

Krum nodded in his agreement, and soon, Harry and Cho found themselves listening to his slow explanations to hundreds of questions Hermione had.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"You know," Cho whispered to him when they finally left the ship a few hours later, on their own brooms, this time. "I'm a Ravenclaw, but I didn't know half of the stuff Hermione asked about."

He grinned. "I didn't know a single thing, if that makes you feel better."

"Well, you can't know everything, I suppose." She giggled. "Thanks for today – can you believe it – Viktor Krum said that I'm a decent Seeker."

"You're better than decent." He laughed at her blush. "And you know it."

The sun was slowly getting downwards, and while it was still bright, the moon was shining in the sky. Harry suddenly stopped. It was a but a day to spare till the full moon and he steeled himself, fearing what could happen. His wolf started howling inside, offering him the chance to join in the song.

"Harry?" She asked, concerned. "Are you alright?"

"I'm..." He gulped and then coughed. "I don't know. Maybe today was a bit too exciting for me."

"Well..." She glanced at the sky and frowned. "Next time, cast a warming charm before submerging into the cold water."

"I'll try."

"You'll have to lend me your Firebolt one day again." She switched the subject, zooming towards the Castle a bit faster. "I think I'm tired too." She yawned to make a point. "And I wasn't swimming in the lake."

He shuddered, feeling the light of the moon with his skin, remembering the feeling of being submerged. "I have no idea how I will manage the task."

"Just cast a warming charm and you'll do fine." She landed before the entrance waiting for him to do the same.

Harry was shivering with his whole body, trying not to. She grabbed him into a hug, trying to calm him down a little and didn't ask what was wrong.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she promised. "You can head to Pomfrey if you're feeling bad – but you're on your own with the Pepperup potion. I have warned you."

Harry had shivers run though his spine again. "Yeah, that's what I'll do."

She released him and touched his cheek with her lips. "Don't get in trouble without me." And, she was off.

Harry extended his hand, looking at it shaking in the light. He had to go and see Pomfrey, and, probably, however much he didn't want to, Snape. Soon.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

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><p>The chapter took longer to write then it usually does, for some reason.<p> 


	25. The Treasure

**Disclaimer**: Harry was Rowling down the road.

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXV

The Treasure

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/VVVV\

He ran towards the hospital wing, thinking if he had chosen correctly. Remus should be there too, he could help. Harry jumped at a few staircases, scaring a couple of first-years, and sliding between a group of students he had no idea even which year they were from. He probably had to go to Dumbledore, or at least, Snape, but he was already near the wing...

He took a deep breath, his wolf beating in his chest together with his heart.

Snape was in the Hospital wing, too? Harry cursed, yet continued on, opening the doors to enter.

There was a Hufflepuff he recognised, Ernie Macmillan, talking with madam Pomfrey, while Snape was using his wand to direct a few bottles onto the stand. Judging by the scents of potions that suddenly assailed Harry, the potions master had just returned from brewing. Also, there was a strong scent of Wolfsbane, one that made Harry feel even more nauseous.

Pomfrey only spared Harry a glance, motioning with her eyes, that he should ask Snape. He gulped, and did one of the craziest things in his life. He took a few steps forward, towards Severus Snape.

"Professor?" he asked with the trembling voice.

Snape turned around and took in the slightly shaking form, the wide eyes and the sweat that was gathering on Harry's face. Then, he sneered and snapped out a spell, waving his wand in short movement. It was something that ended with "-to", but Harry didn't hear much more.

"Well?" Snape drew out the word, looking as patient as possible. Yet, Harry knew that he was on guard – his wolf felt it.

"I feel like it might begin earlier, again," Harry admitted. "I thought Pomfrey or Remus could-"

"Potter." Snape didn't let him finish, grabbing his arm and dragging him out unceremoniously. "We'll put you on observation. And, you will take your Wolfsbane potion this time."

Harry threw a scared glance at Ernie, yet it didn't look like the boy heard them at all. The hospital wing doors closed with a loud slam. That elicited a short shout from Madam Pomfrey, but Snape ignored everything and simply dragged Harry on.

Snape cast a few spells Harry didn't recognise, and then, opened the doors to the nearest classroom. As with every Sunday, most of those were empty, alike the one Snape chose.

"Potter, you're lucky this formula lasts longer." Snape produced a vial of Wolfsbane potion from his robes. "Else, you'd have to wait."

Harry took the vial in his shaking hands. "It still doesn't work," he muttered.

"Drink." Snape started casting a net of spells, warding the room and the doors. "Quick, boy, we don't have all day."

Harry downed the potion, then shook even more violently, letting it fall down from his hands. It clanked on the floor, empty, unbroken. Snape summoned it with a lazy wave of his wand and returned to casting the spells.

"What did you give me?" Harry felt his insides burn.

"Wolfsbane potion." Snape sneered, without looking back.

Harry gulped a few times, catching for air, almost clawing on his chest, his eyes suddenly unseeing. He fell down on the ground, and started twitching violently. Ten, suddenly, there was silence.

_He was standing in the Forbidden forest, on all fours, his fur slightly moving from the wind. There was a scent of darkness in the air, its tendrils making his muzzle itch, and his fangs started showing without a single thought. He sniffed the air, trying to understand where it was coming from, when his interest was suddenly drawn the other way. His pack was in danger._

_He darted between the trees, trying to move as fast as possible._

"_**Avada Kedavra!**__"_

_A flash of green met him, jumping into the clearing, yet, he was too slow. The colours disappeared, as he watched Sirius fall down. Somebody was running away. He let out a short howl of hunt and started the chase._

"_Potter!" his prey shouted._

_He didn't recognise the word, leaping forward, fangs bare. Mid leap he was met by some kind of spell, blasting him backwards. His back glancing from a tree, he rolled on the Forest floor, and was again on his pawns, ready for another leap. It hurt, and he guessed that he scratched himself when falling. Nothing serious, though._

"_Harry!" someone else arrived at the clearing. A human. Remus. That name was familiar._

_Remus wouldn't get between him and his prey, would he? He ignored the pack member's call and jumped onto his prey again. This time, he did it in a few leaps, evading two different spells from hitting him, and then, pounced at the prey, growling, prepared to bite out the throat._

_However Remus' spell got him in the side and he was once again blasted aside. The ground was supposed to bet wet and cold, yet it felt dry and hard, alike falling onto the stone. He hit his head hard, making it spin for half a second. _

_He got up slowly, carefully and started circling them. There was a scent of blood in the air._

"_Harry!" Remus shouted again. "Stop!"_

_He growled, with somewhat less anger than before – __**he is the one who hurt Sirius. Let me pass.**_

_Remus moved to stand between him and his prey. "Harry, think, you need to think! We're not your enemies!"_

_He stopped. Harry? That was familiar, was he not...? It wasn't a forest he was standing it. And that wasn't his prey. It was an enemy and Remus. He shook his head, as if trying to get all the water out of his fur. He had no fur. There was only hair, and ripped robes. He tried to clear his mind, stand up and lean onto the wall, but he couldn't stand on two legs. It was too difficult to maintain balance, so he fell back on all fours._

_Remus was looking at him intently. The classroom looked slightly messed up – a few stray spells had hit the desks. He wasn't going to attack anymore. He shook his head again, but Remus didn't look convinced._

_Then, he laid his head down on the floor and put a paw over his muzzle. A hand over his head._

_Remus turned towards Snape. "What did you give him?"_

_The words that followed were strange, unrecognisable._

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Remus sheathed his wand. "Well?"

Harry, in slightly tattered Quidditch uniform, was sprawled on the ground, in the furthest corner of the class.

"Wolfsbane potion." Snape said carefully, watching Harry intently, wand still drawn. On his voice, Potter twitched, yet didn't stand up. "Modified Wolfsbane potion."

"What's in it?" Remus crossed his arms.

"Like you would understand," Snape sneered at the temporary Defence Professor. "It should have diluted the basic resistance a mind has – and Legilimency would have been a lot safer."

Remus sighed and turned to Harry, taking a few steps towards him. "Harry?"

There was only a silent growl in answer, yet it sounded with a hint of recognition.

"What do you think happened?" Remus took another step, eyes fixed on Harry.

"Maybe the dose was too strong." Snape still was clutching the wand so hard that his fingers where white. "Take a drop of his blood; I'll need to run some tests."

Remus carefully crouched next to Harry. Harry, however wasn't watching him, instead, his gaze was constantly following Snape's wand. Remus sighed and ruffled the unruly hair, conjuring a small vial with his wand. Then, he found the small head wound that was leaking blood, and levitated a few drops into the vial. Then, he cast a simple healing spell, vanishing the wound completely. Through all that he never stopped stroking Harry's hair.

Harry quieted down as the wound healed and remained still.

Snape caught the levitated vial with Harry's blood and quickly pocketed it. "I'm going to call the headmaster," he said, and soon was outside, the classroom door closing behind his billowing robes.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Remus spent quite a while talking quietly, trying to wake Harry up with his voice. However, he was unresponsive, crawled on the ground, trying to understand what was wrong. The scent of darkness persisted, and then, came pain. He jumped on all fours and started howling, his forehead burning intensely.

_The house was vast, and there were two men there. Each of them had a scent that made him snarl, and there were two others – a snake, and an abomination, their own scents screaming darkness at him. They were talking, but he couldn't make sense of the words. The abomination was angry? He heard his name said, and dismissed, then, a talk about some witch and two names that fuelled his own anger – 'Crouch' and 'Wormtail'. The creature screeched, angrily, started flailing its arms about. The pain increased, and he started snarling and biting again, at everything, anything, trying to severe the pain, to escape the vision._

He came to it when he was on top of Remus, his teeth embedded into Remus' arm. Luckily, the bite looked like it was the only one, and ran not very deep. He jumped back, feeling that his arms hurting. His head was threatening to split apart, too.

"Moony?" he asked fearfully, holding onto his forehead with his left arm. "What happened?"

"You're back." Remus laughed a bitter laugher. Then, taking his wand out, he conjured some bandages for the arm. As it was a werewolf bite inflicted wound, his best bet was simply waiting till tomorrow's change.

"How long was I..?" Harry coughed a few times, his throat feeling rough, the taste of blood interfering with his thoughts. "I need to speak with Dumbledore."

"A few minutes," Remus started explaining. "You reacted badly to the new Wolfsbane potion. It should have eased the mental resistance of both you and your wolf, allowing you to win with the help from a Legilimens. However, I believe that that weakened resistance affected your human part more, or, your wolf side is stronger than we hoped. Dumbledore should be on the way with Severus, they will know better. I'm sorry you had to endure the fight with the wolf in a weakened state."

Harry blinked. "There was no fight – it was like flipping a light switch. One minute I felt myself, with the wolf on the edge of my mind, and the other, it was otherwise. I got lost in my own mind." He sighed. "I saw Sirius dying. Again."

"I'm sorry." Remus shook his head. "You don't deserve any of this. Is there anything I could do?"

"Don't let them give me another dose of the potion. It actually does nothing." Harry laughed, weakly. "Snape would be ecstatic – he wouldn't have to brew a custom recipe it for me."

"But how are you going to stay in control on the full moon?" Remus looked shocked by the suggestion. "The potion can still work. Severus is a master of his subject."

"Snape hates me."

"He is doing his best." Remus checked his bandage, and, finally content, sheathed his wand again.

"Please, Moony, do it for me. Give me three moons without anything being shoved my throat – I want to stop feeling like a potions experiment."

"Harry, you have to understand-" Remus never finished his sentence, as the door opened again and Dumbledore strolled in, his face deep in thought.

Harry stood up, his legs shaking a little. "Sir, I saw a vision. About Voldemort, Crouch and Wormtail. They are planning to kill some witch during the Triwizard Tournament. They also mentioned something about me being part of the plan." He rubbed his eyes, pain slowly receding from the scar. "I don't know anything else – it's already slipping from memory."

Headmaster nodded. "Do you, by any chance, remember were the vision took place?"

"It was difficult to understand – the wolf was the one listening, and he tends to see everything happening in a forest. I think there was a wooden house, but I'm not sure. It's probably the same place I saw Voldemort before, in the summer."

"I see." Dumbledore took in the bandages on Remus arm. "I'm venturing to guess that the current crisis has been averted?"

"I simply saw the moon shining in the sky, and it reminded me of tomorrow, sir." Harry was leaning on the nearest table to stand straight. "It was bad, but nothing I couldn't handle. But after drinking the potion, it became worse. I... I think I slipped, and the wolf was there to take over." He tried sounding as calm as he could. "It wasn't a fight; it was more like him trying to protect me while I was unable."

"And why did you attack Professor Snape?" Headmaster gestured to the door, where the Potions Master stood, wand in hand.

"I don't know, sir." Harry turned to face Snape. "I'm sorry, Professor, just – there was some kind of smell that reminded me of the **Crouch**." His next question was aimed at Dumbledore. "Do you have any idea why it was so?"

"Had you asked me a month ago, I would not have answered." Dumbledore sighed. "Severus, if you will, please show Mr. Potter your arm."

Snape frowned, but did as asked, revealing the Dark Mark on his hand. It was weak, but something was saying Harry that it had looked even weaker before and was getting stronger by the days.

"This is the mark of the Dark Lord." Snape was talking quietly, his voice strangely proud. "He gives it to many of his followers, and with its help he can call them in time of need."

"Them?" Harry was too tired to get really angry. "All this time you were working for Voldemort?"

Snape frowned. "I was. I'm not working for him anymore."

"Because you don't know if he will return or not yet!" Harry was slightly raising his voice, yet his throat felt sore.

"Please, Harry," Dumbledore, nearer to him than before, placed a hand on his shoulder. "I trust Severus Snape. I'm not asking for you to trust him, but I'm asking for you to believe in me."

Harry looked at the old Headmaster, with a long, hard stare. "I'll try."

"Good." Dumbledore's eyes started twinkling. "Now, would you please, ah, sniff the scent, and see if it was indeed a possible trigger to your outburst?"

Harry sniffed the air carefully, from afar. Remus, however, took a few steps towards Snape and even leaned a bit forward.

"Yes." Harry found himself snarling unconsciously. "It reminds me of something that the fake Moody had with him."

"Curious." Remus was scratching his head. "I can almost smell something. Severus, would you mind if we tried this just after the transformation ends?"

"I'm not something for wolves to be sniffing!" Snape was sneering at them all, and rolled down his sleeve again. "Albus – you will let them make fun of me so?"

"But this is quite ingenious – if Harry, and for that matter, Remus, could learn to distinguish the scent of the Dark Mark – the benefit would be substantial. The Dark Mark is primary, a mark on one's soul and its presence cannot be erased even with Polyjuice – having Harry or Remus nearby would increase the difficulty of infiltration considerably. Alastor, I think, would be thrilled to hear this." Dumbledore winked. "The real one, of course."

"Voldemort knows." Harry blinked a few times. "He knows I'm a werewolf."

"It is a safe assumption, yes." Dumbledore agreed. "Alas, while we cannot guess what his move is going to be in that regard, I'd venture to guess his opinion of you has somewhat plummeted. Voldemort has grown up with all the pureblood beliefs while at Hogwarts, so he considers many unworthy of his notice. In the grander scene of things, it might mean that he will turn more attention elsewhere, but we can never be sure."

"But," Harry was slightly panicking. "He might tell everyone."

"Ah, but he has only two servants, both of whom are not in the best position to be talking to anyone." Dumbledore paced a few steps. "Although I admit, that I have been trying to take a few steps to reduce or prevent the possible consequences completely."

Harry looked at the Headmaster questioningly, but the man didn't share any further thoughts.

"Now, would you mind that I performed a few diagnosis spells?" Dumbledore asked carefully. "It has been quite an eventful evening for you, and I would understand if all you desire is rest."

Harry nodded, and Dumbledore began waving his wand in intricate patterns. Snape took another look at the room, and left again, visibly discontent. Remus, as was to be expected remained behind.

After the spellwork was complete, Harry picked up the conversation again. "Professor, I'd like to ask you for a favour."

"If it is within reason and one that I can grant you, I'll do what I can." Dumbledore asked, suddenly more attentive than before. "You have been trough much, and I will forever feel in your debt. But, I am sure, you won't be abusing an old fools beliefs, will you, Harry?"

Remus allowed himself a small smile, watching the scene.

"I'd like to stop drinking the Wolfsbane potion." Harry said loudly. However, upon seeing the Headmaster's confusion, he felt like he had to clarify. "Well, not forever, just for a few moons – I'd like to really see what is the difference, and I have..." He cleared his throat. "Come to something of an understanding with my wolf. It's not very strong, but one I'd like to test. Drinking Wolfsbane hasn't done me anything beneficial yet."

Dumbledore stroked his beard a few times. "I will give you this chance. But you will be placed under strict supervision and will have to spend a day before and after in the hospital wing, or with Remus present.. It's for the next two moons only – I'll inform Severus of this myself."

"Thank you, Sir." Harry bowed his head.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry spent all his Monday in the hospital wing, complaining about it to anyone who was visiting. Pomfrey believed that he caught some kind strange disease, and however fine he was feeling, she said that she was going to keep him in the wing for a few days - at least, that was the official version. Cho simply chided him for diving into the lake when it wasn't the time for the task, but didn't pry about the exact disease, even though Harry knew that Pomfrey had something prepared for the occasion of someone inquiring. Hermione, surprisingly, was the only one who did ask, and spent quite a few minutes reading up on the symptoms. She tried to have a hushed conversation about why he had to retreat to the hospital wing early, but Harry was being as vague as with any other visitors.

Diggory came together with Marietta and spent a few minutes talking about Quidditch and Krum. He left not soon after, but not before making Harry promise to try his best both at the task and in the Seeker competition – he believed that with three of them, they had a chance of catching the Snitch from Krum – and that, he laughed, would almost be as good as wining the second task. In the meantime, Cho and Marietta had a short conversation but Harry didn't catch more than a mention of his name.

Ron's visit was actually the longest one, as he had brought a set of chess, and Harry ended up losing two times in a row, even though Ron said that the games were very closely matched. Ginny didn't visit at all, but sent a word through Ron, wishing him a fast recovery.

Then, with the evening coming closer, Pomfrey forced every visitor to leave, and Remus came to bring him to their usual classroom, covering Harry with the invisibility cloak all the way.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He was expecting something to be different, to hear his wolf better, to feel anything more, but the full moon was just as any other. Full of pain, and in full power of the wolf. Harry liked to believe that the transformation was slightly shorter, as there wasn't any struggle when he allowed the wolf control, but it probably wasn't so.

He spent the night sprawled on the floor, by the side of Remus, dreaming of hunt, dark forest and some strange creature hidden in the shadow. In the morning, he felt as bad as usually – he hurt everywhere and was quickly relocated to the hospital wing, and given the usual droughts. The only good thing he saw, was that he hadn't had to drink the vilest of them all – the Wolfsbane potion.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

A week went by really fast – he was revising the spells for the tournament with Remus, and Cho was revising for her O.W.L.s. with her Ravenclaw friends. Harry woke up in the early morning, feeling that something was wrong. It took him a few deep breaths to focus – he had dreamed many things that mostly didn't make sense – about dark forest, mermaids form the illustrations in the books he had viewed, and something that had to do with the stolen Firebolt, that he couldn't lend to Cho anymore.

Having woken up early, he was alo one of the first ones to arrive to breakfast. He was eating quickly, nervous, looking for Cho everywhere. Not seeing her up, he sniffed the air a few times. Dumbledore had light Cho's scent on him. Feeling even more confused, Harry realised that Hermione and Marietta were missing the breakfast, too.

With the second task going on instead of lessons, it seemed impossible. He took out the Map, whispered the password and started looking though it, but they weren't in the dorms, nor, in fact, anywhere he expected them to be.

He took another look at the staff table – there, he saw Amelia Bones eating and talking together with the headmaster. Two scents belonging to someone outside were also from not around the castle. He had smelt one of those before, but couldn't be sure where. He quickly found two dots in the map, standing still just outside the Hall, waiting patiently. The map identified them as Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks. He never remembered hearing the name, but Harry almost remembered meeting the Tonks' family at Sirius funeral. Some kind of distant relative?

He returned to the thoughts about Cho. It was obvious already – she was taken a hostage, someone he would miss most. How had Dumbledore allowed it? He promised that the tasks would be safer... He could barely sit in place, so he just finished drinking a glass of pumpkin juice, and stood up.

He walked right up to the Headmaster, and, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Amelia Bones, he growled out a single sentence. "Tell me they are safe."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>Funnily enough, the next chapter is finally about the Second Task. Like in the fourth book, it's chapter 26 too. I am sorry for the long wait, but there were things that had to be said and done before the Task.<p> 


	26. The Drowning

**Disclaimer**: Rowling was trying to drown Harry in the lake.

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXVI

The Drowning

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/VVVV\

"Good morning to you too, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore twinkled his eyes. "Sadly, you'll find that I'm not at liberty to reveal all the safety measures we took to ensure the return of the hostages, so I'd like you to wait patiently until the start of the task. Now, Mr. Potter, was there anything else you wanted?"

"I believe that was uncalled for, Mr. Potter." Amelia Bones coughed a few times, looking affronted by Harry's behaviour. "But I'm sure that it's just the stress speaking."

"I'm sorry sir, madam, I hadn't thought about it thoroughly." Harry felt his ears burning. "Ah... Have a nice breakfast." And he dove outside the hall as fast as he believed was decent – he didn't need to start another scene.

Harry was silently berating his wolf – he should have realised that Dumbledore would ensure that everyone would be as safe as possible. It didn't mean that he could be careless – Voldemort was paying attention at the tournament, and that meant that he could expect trouble anytime. He grind his teeth thinking about when it could happen - probably when he least-.

"Wotcher, Harry!"

He jumped to the side, turning quickly to the sound, and saw a semi-familiar face. The scent, however, seemed to be very alike the one he had scented before. During the Sirius' funeral. He relaxed the hand that was halfway to his wand.

"Nymph..." He tried to remember the name from the map.

"Shh!" she hissed at him. "Don't say it!"

"What?" He blinked, completely lost.

"I don't care how you learned my name, but don't you dare call me by it. It's simply Tonks."

He was still blinking at her. "Why?"

She grinned at him. "There are things that are better left unsaid. My name is, obviously, among them. And – I really hate my name."

Harry shrugged.

"Why so glum, though? Don't feel like you prepared enough?" Tonks was smiling a friendly smile. "Or is it girl troubles?"

"I'm fine." Harry coughed nervously. "Wait – what are you even doing here?"

"Auror Tonks at your service," she bowed. "Kingsley said I earned a few days of field work." She motioned at the black wizard standing a bit to the side, sometimes glancing in their direction.

"You're an Auror?" Harry, after having heard that Sirius tried out for the profession had acquired a small interest in it too.

"Yeah." She grinned. "Kingsley is as well, he's a bit higher up than me, though. I only qualified a few months ago. If I don't ruin everything, they might even start treating me like one. They really want to make sure we're ready."

"I'm sure you're doing fine," Harry offered.

"I'm a freshly baked Auror at an international event, with Amelia Bones present. There are so many things that could go wrong..." She trailed off, and her brownish hair became a lot brighter, bordering on violet. "Harry – good luck to you, but I have to try and look a bit more official now. It would be bad if Amelia caught me chatting with everyone passing by. I'm not sure why exactly we are needed here, but Kingsley said we should at least look watchful."

Harry nodded, said a short goodbye, and started going towards the Black Lake. He still didn't know what to think about Tonks. She seemed a bit too friendly for his wolf's tastes, but he imagined that Sirius would have liked him getting to know _the daughter of_ _his favourite cousin_. Her way of changing her own looks was interesting, though, Harry found himself slightly jealous. He figured it would would very useful to be able to hide his scar from everyone.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He was the first champion to show up, taking a long look at the lake and the stands stretching out in all directions. The lake water was gently swirling with waves, dark water glittering strangely in the morning sun. The stands were, Harry guessed, from the Hogwarts' Quidditch pit, brought to the lakeside by the teachers. The Durmstrang students were gathering on the edge of their ship, overlooking the lake from the deck, raised higher than most of the stands.

Many others were already there, trying to find the best seats for the task. Harry had asked Cho once, what was the actual point of watching the task, when you could only see the beginning and the end, but she only laughed. Later, she explained that Bagman would definitely be commenting, and even though the crowd wouldn't see the champions themselves for the most part, there would have to be some spellwork at place to inform Bagman and other judges of their positions.

Harry smelled quite a bit of magic from the golddraped table at the water's edge, that was probably meant to do exactly what Cho had talked about. No judges were sitting there yet, but a few ministry workers he didn't recognise were walking around, with a bages proclaiming them to be part of DMLE. Harry sniffed the air a few times, but he, even with the help of his wolf, couldn't gleam of any dangerous scents. Remembering the scent Snape's mark had, he tried to look for it too, but there wasn't any. Even Snape himself was yet absent. Harry wasn't sure the man would even show up.

After a few minutes of staring into the lake, and torn between wanting to dive in as soon as possible and rescue his pack mate from the lake, and the primal fear of water, that his wolf had strengthened with quite a few nightmares, he realised that it was a bad idea to come early. There were far too many whispers about him to his liking. Interestingly enough, there were a few that noticed the absence of Cho, and started wondering where she had gone. Some girl form Hufflepuff even dared to suggest that she had finally decided to leave him, and didn't want to see him performing in the task. Harry only gritted his teeth to that.

Albus Dumbledore and Amelia Bones arrived not soon after. Both of them didn't sit down, but actually went to perform quite a few spells that Harry didn't recognise. Afterwards, she sat down in a judge's seat, and Dumbledore went further down the shore to speak with someone that reeked of fish – Harry smelt the creature seconds after her head appeared from the water. Dumbledore spoke something that was composed of some sort of screechy noises in Mermish; the Merperson had nodded a few times to them and then simply dove back in the water.

When Dumbledore returned from that conversation, Fleur and Krum had already joined Harry. Fleur smelled distressed and was obviously distracted. Interestingly enough, he could almost sense a glimpse of primal fear of drowning in her, same as in himself.

"Gabrielle." She was muttering to herself, very quietly, making Harry feel sympathetic to her situation. She was worrying as much as he was.

Krum was standing still, his arms behind his back, straight as a metal beam, unmoving, only his eyes betraying a hint of excitement. He did nod as a greeting to Harry when he said hello, but otherwise remained completely still, focused.

Cedric was the last champion to arrive, and was clutching a small package in his hands, slightly nervous, but not nearly as much as Fleur or Harry. He offered Harry a hand to shake, but there were no words exchange. The champions were trying to concentrate, and no one wished to start a conversation.

All of them came at least somewhat prepared for the task – each of them had opted to dress in a swimming trunks, or, in Fleur's case, a swimsuit, beneath their robes, and had used the waiting time to remove the robes, every champion, except Viktor, even casting a warming charm on themselves, just in case. His charm worked, and the warmth helped him focus. Harry's swimming trunks were actually ordered by owl and he was glad that they fit alright. Dark green and comfortable, they were chosen from a small collection of items with help from Cho. To be completely true, she had told him that it was part of the preparation for the task, and he had to spend a few minutes looking at the pictures of wizards in swimming trunks. Cho was quietly laughing at his strange aversion to the activity the whole time. Harry allowed himself a small smile, trying to focus on waiting for the signal to start the task.

There were quite a few stares from the crowd, most boys shamelessly drooling at Fleur, and girls mostly torn between Cedric and Krum. Harry felt that he didn't have as developed of a body as the other two boys and only his wolf's pride helped him to hold back the shame and shyness.

However, judging by the overheard whispers, he had received quite a few looks as well, the taxing transformations improving muscles even more than the regular Quidditch practices, although not by much. The main whispers were about the few scars littered onto his body. Wizarding medicine was miraculous when it came to healing injuries, but sometimes, even it failed when it came to scars. There was a mark on his hand, where a basilisk bit him quite a long time ago, and a bigger injury or two from the full moons. With the touch of cold morning air, before the magical warmth engulfed him, the scars were visibly white, and many a gaze had fallen upon them in wonder.

He sighed, remembering the time when Dumbledore had knocked him out – he still managed to scratch and bite himself quite a few times before that, and many faint lines on his shoulders and back were the proof of that. It didn't help to turn out the many whispers, though.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Finally, Ludo Bagman finished explaining about the task, in a pompous voice that Percy Weasley would have been jealous off. The crowd was already excited, having heard about hostages – many were already trying to guess who would be in the lake.

Amelia Bones stood up to say a few words, too. "Wizards and witches, we all have gathered here to watch the Champions save their hostages, and I wish all of them the best of luck! I hope that this task will be a great event for all of us. However, know that the Ministry has assured everyone's safety in the task, as there have been extra safety measures implemented." On her words, the black Auror, Kingsley, approached each of the champions, giving each of them a small stone to tie on their wrists. They smelled of magic and Dumbledore, so Harry took his without much suspicion, and quickly tied it onto his arm.

"These will help you reach the surface, if something happens," he explained to the champions, while Amelia carried on, about the importance of safety in such events and something about Merpeople role as observers. "Simply squeeze the stone two times, and it'll activate, bringing you to the surface quickly and safely – of course, using them will mean forfeiting a few of the points you'll get for the task. Good luck, to each of you." And he went away, to stand next to the judges table. Harry looked around for Tonks, guessing that she should be far, but couldn't see her in the crowd. Not even scenting her presence helped – she was probably hidden in the crowd, observing for any threats.

Ludo Bagman was moving among the champions, spacing them along the bank at intervals of ten feet.

"All right. Harry?" Bagman whispered as he moved Harry a few feet farther away from Krum. "Know what you're going to do?"

Harry grinned at him viciously, and Bagman stopped his arm before it touching Harry's shoulder. Then, he awkwardly mumbled something that sounded like 'good', and quickly moved on.

Amelia Bones sat down, giving Ludo the chance to pick up the speech to the crowd from where she had stopped. He pointed his wand at his throat as he had done at the World Cup, said, "Sonorus!" and his voice boomed out across the dark water toward the stands.

"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover those, who have been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One… two… three!"

The whistle echoed shrilly in the cold, still air; the stands erupted with cheers and applause; the champions quickly started their preparations. Viktor was first to ready his wand, and he started waving it in an intricate pattern, preparing some transfiguration, where Cedric quickly tore open his package and started eating the greenish contents. Harry was not very surprised when Fleur used the same Bubble Head Charm he did – it was a medium complexity, yet a reliable Charm and a decent choice. He was surprised that Cedric didn't use that – it meant that either the Hufflepuff had found something better – whatever that stinking substance was – or, Cho hadn't told him, nor Marietta about the charm. Harry shook his head, cast another warming charm from inside the bubble, and dove into the water.

The water slammed into the bubble around his head, making his wolf grind his teeth with discomfort. The lake was overwhelming him, water closing behind him, but he fought the primal fear as much as he could. The water was dark, and it's currents, created by his own movements were constantly hitting the bubble.

But he pressed on - there was Cho to save, and he had to do it. Even if he had been told that the task was supposed to be safe, he couldn't live with himself if he failed. There had to be a reason why there were Aurors and not simple ministry workers patrolling at the edge of the Lake.

An then, he was deeper than a few feet, his wolf grinding his teeth in fear and anger – the water was pushing at him, trying to entrap him, and the fact that he could take simple breaths in the bubble wasn't comforting him any. Still, he had a task to complete, and that very same wolf that was feeding him fear had a lot of pride – so, settling for a middle ground, Harry was swimming deeper and deeper. The warming charm was holding, at least, and he feared to even think what the wolf would be doing had the water felt cold, too.

The vision was poor, even when he had little difficulty with the lack of light, it was very hard to pierce the dark waters of the Black Lake. The scents were limited, too – only the light taste of water, and whatever air he had brought with himself while wrapping himself in the Bubble. The hints of the crowds, steel, fire and the mud of the lakeshore. Also, there was a scent of himself – he was breathing heavily, remembering what he had for breakfast, and last night.

It was like being suddenly blinded – that's how much he had come to rely on the scents. Still, he had his eyesight, and, even obscured by the dark water, he had a good eye for spotting any movements. Between the light green weed that looked like a meadow of very overgrown grass, he suddenly noticed exactly that - movement. Not a champion – at least Harry didn't think it was. The only one that looked not very human of the lot was Viktor Krum, and Harry figured he would recognise the strange shark-like creature, even though he didn't get the best of the looks at him.

Seeing the movement closing in on him, he launched a spell before it reached him. It looked like the Grindylow, a small horned water demon, met the steam of hot water halfway. Remus had told Harry about some aspects of casting underwater - generally, the movements were slightly restricted, but that didn't pose any serious problems for the spells that one knew inside-out. The effect of some spells also differed - Harry smiled – sending simple sparks with **Relashio **at the opponent usually had greater effect underwater than in the air. Grindylow quickly changed its mind about pursuing the young wizard, when Harry gave it another taste of the spell.

However, it wasn't alone – Harry felt another's fingers grab at his feet, clutching tightly. _Long fingers. Strong, but very brittle_. Angry, feeling like a beast cornered by the hunters, he started kicking and striking around, forgetting that he was a wizard for a few long minutes. When he finally came to it, the Grindylows, there had been quite a few, apparently, were fleeing from him, and he had a lot of bleeding scratches on his legs and arms.

Fixing them up somewhat, with a few _**Episkey**_s – a spell he had learned from Hermione - he swam on, even though he already felt very tired. He had to reach Cho. He had to.

After what felt ages for his wolf, only meeting a couple of harmless fish on the way, he almost ran into the giant squid. Not wanting to anger the creature, he had to swim back and around it. Even though the wolf, tired and scared senseless, was trying to make him lash out at every movement.

Harry was extremely happy when the squid didn't pursue - it probably didn't even notice the small wizard approaching from its side.

Then, he finally heard it – the faint vibration of Merfolk's song against the bubble – Harry redoubled his swimming attempts, already somewhat accustomed to the disorienting nature of being underwater. The wolf never stopped snarling inside, though. His head always rose upwards, as the bubble of air was lifting him slightly, so he had to compensate with tiring movements of his arms.

There were strange lights and movements under water, and Harry recognised the figures of Merfolk – he had reached their village. There were many crude stone dwellings and creatures, that didn't look much alike the pictures in the books he read about them. He almost started launching spells at them, but held his hand. Barely. Didn't Dumbledore speak with the Mermaid that was currently staring at Harry from afar? He snarled all at them, trying to make them cower and run. They stayed.

He couldn't tell from the scents, as annoyingly, there were none, except the one of extremely stale water. Only the music, distorted and barely recognisable, was followed by the same song as the egg had.

He swam through the ranks of Merfolk, his gaze focused forward, his arms and legs aching, his heart beating like mad. Thump, thump, thump. Harry could hear the pressure in his ears and felt every heatbeat with his whole body – the pressure of the lake was high, as he was very deep.

Then, he saw Cedric swimming away, moving a lot faster than him, with strangely webbed fingers and toes. Harry couldn't tell from afar, but that should have been Marietta that he was carrying away. Harry had known that Cedric tried to ask Cho for the ball, and wondered, if he was a day or two late, who would be rescuing who?

Then, he saw them – Hermione, Cho and a little girl that bore some resemblance to Fleur. All the hostages were clothed in their school robes. Except for the little girl. All of the girls were held in place with a the rope, surrounded by the careful circle of Mermaids, tied to a great statue's tail.

The girl's silvery hair was flowing wildly in the water, together with slow currents of flowing water. Each of them looked unmoving, eerie, white, with eyes closed. Their heads were lolling onto their shoulders, and fine streams of bubbles kept issuing from their mouths. Every girl had a small stone affixed to their arms, each one pulsing with reddish light, very slowly. The one he got from Kingsley was doing the same, although the pulses were a lot more frequent. Pulsing in rhythm with his heart - Harry realised.

Cho was tied in the middle, and he spent a few moments, both dreading and admiring her appearance - she looked cold, yet peaceful, and his wolf shuddered - it was too alike seeing her dead, yet she looked as beautiful as ever. Harry had to beat down a sudden panic - everything was going to be fine - the stone was pulsing, so it must have meant that every girl was alright.

He took a deep breath then. The air in the bubble already felt stale and heavy, and he would have to return the same distance while carrying Cho. At least the bubble would help... He stopped before the hostages, holding himself with hard hand strokes in a single place – he still had to compensate for the bubble's lifting. What about Hermione? She was his pack too, even though someone else was supposed to save her – Viktor Krum, obviously.

Harry shook his head – he was being foolish, the hostages were safe, nothing would happen to them – Dumbledore all but promised it with his gaze at the breakfast. He started looking for a way to untie the rope, when a faint scent of darkness reached him - he didn't know how that was possible, as the air in the bubble was as stale as before. He did feel the smells of the forest, too.

Harry shook his head once again, trying to cope with himself, and finally remembered what he had taken with himself. He took out the knife Sirius had gifted him, seemingly, a long time ago, and started cutting through Cho's bindings. He hesitated again just before there was a last strand to cut - should he take Hermione and the girl too? His thoughts were cut short, when the Merpeople screeched and scattered, allowing a strange creature to swim past them - a human body in swimming trunks with the head of a shark… It was Krum.

The shark-man swam straight to Hermione and began snapping and biting at her ropes; not wanting to see Hermione bit - he had seen his share of bites for a lifetime already - he tapped Viktor on the shoulder and gave him the knife.

As the other Champion cut the ropes with one easy swing, Harry suddenly twitched, the air in the bubble unbearably stale, and the scents of darkness and forest getting to him. There was a sudden pain in his scar, and he grabbed onto his forehead, shaking from the sudden feel of burning.

The world was spinning around, and even though he was almost sure that the Charm held - he was getting a distinct array of smells - he started choking on nothing, feeling as if his lungs were filling with water. He started kicking around, his very brain felt waterlogged, and he felt just so - tired.

"**Harry Potter,**" said someone in a cold, deformed voice that made his head feel like splitting, echoing inside a thousand times.

He snarled, and snapped at the voice, turning around, to face... no one? There was another surge of pain, and he felt the world turn black.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

_He was standing in the silent forest... It **reeked **of **darkness**. Everywhere._

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter had quite a few small quotes from Rowling's Goblet of Fire, and a word or two from Prisoner of Azkaban.<p> 


	27. The Soul

**Disclaimer**: Harry is hard to kill even if you are Rowling.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXVII

The Soul

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The forest had a foulest stench of darkness that he ever smelled. It was like blackest tar had been poured into his nose, making all the other scents fade into the stench. He snarled and shook his head, but the foul odour was incredibly persistent.

"Harry Potter," there was a whisper, making his hair stand.

The wolf howled, shivering from pain and rage.

"It is," there was a hissing tone to every word. "Interesting how such a pathetic creature can get into my way as much as you do."

Harry felt the wolf's anger increasing, yet, the voice had no body he could tear apart. There were only trees, and pitch black darkness. His usually sharp vision was no help, his movements felt restricted, heavier, and his heart was beating an incredibly fast beat.

He felt a slimy tendril, seemingly on the back of his mind and lashed out at it, his nails digging into something - it was like raking the ground with the unpleasant feeling of dirt clinging to the fingers. However, it didn't smell of the ground, but of dark tar, and sewers. Even when shaking with disgust, Harry continued to tear into whatever force was trying to hold him, with no results. He even tried biting and hitting with more force, but all that did was getting him even more tired.

"But no longer," the voice was angry, yet triumphant. "No longer."

And then, Harry fully recognised it - the hissing undertones, the arrogance, the anger and the incredible pain in the scar.

"Voldemort," he spat the words, growling together with his wolf, the taste of darkness almost making him want to throw up. Something was restraining his arm and he lashed out to free it, and the pressure there was gone. For but a moment.

"You're going to die, Potter, die like a dog." Voldemort's laughter echoed in his mind, ignoring his flailing. "It is just to drown a rabid dog - think of it as helping the wizarding world clean it's mess."

The darkness started choking him, the invisible cords tying around his throat, his blood pulsing in the darkening veins, air suddenly escaping his lungs. There was a loud pop, and Harry felt like he had just took a deep breath of water - he was drowning.

"Goodbye, Harry Potter."

The wolf was snarling, not knowing who to lash out at, where to direct the anger - the darkness was present everywhere, yet there nowhere at the same time. It too, felt the imminent, inescapable, death.

He had lost, he was going to be consumed by the darkness, drown in it... It was like being underwater without the...

_Harry suddenly saw a glimpse of the underwater side - the Bubble Head charm had collapsed moments before, and his breath was full of water. There was a small red cloud or blood floating in the water, slowly dispersing, and behind it, Harry could see Viktor Krum, surrounded by a stange reddish glow, incredibly slowly rising upwards, his face full of scratches and looking completely human. Something was clutched hard in his hand, and the few deeper scratches were lightly bleeding into the water. The look Viktor was giving him was a mixture of fear and concern, and he was blinking so slowly that Harry could follow every movement of each eyelash..._

He was once again in the dark forest, unable to move, unable to scream, drowning in the darkness.

_Then, once more, a vision from the black lake - he saw the incredibly slow movements of merpeople, and the silhouettes of the little girl and Cho..._

His wolf howled, the sound carrying it all - the death, anger and pain.

He wouldn't drown, he wasn't going to leave anyone in danger, especially not Cho!

With a sudden influx of determination and anger, he felt the distant connection. It was akin to the feeling of Legilimency being used on him. Here, it wasn't a gentle, supporting touch of Dumbledore, it was a hidden stab in the back - the wolf had seen Dumbledore then, but now, there was nothing. Maybe, Harry was thinking with a speed only a dying human is capable of, the secret was in finding the origin of the presence, and with a last drop of the sane mind he tried to find that very source.

And, through all the darkness, there was a source - like hidden headwaters in the deepest part of the forest. The wolf was already there - finally having found a target to put all the primal fury to. The teeth tore into the spring of darkness, and Harry's mind was suddenly filled with an angry scream. The tendrils twitched as the wolf tore them apart, breaking the hold over both of them.

Harry fell on his knees, and took a deep breath...

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Water was everywhere, his lungs burning from pain and lack of air, his mind spinning, the screeches of Merpeople hurting his brain, and, it felt that somebody had placed a piece of molten iron on his forehead. If that wasn't enough, he felt like he had just fought in a hundred year war without a moment for rest.

Everything was moving too fast, but there - floating just before his eyes, was his wand.

He probably had let it go moments before - watching it were quite curious eyes of a few Merpeople, but Harry had no time to admire the sight himself - he snatched it, with his arm moving very heavily underwater, and brought it closer to his face. By the time it took for the wandtip to reach his face he could see only black darkness of unconsciousness.

He tried to cast the Bubble-Head Charm again, with the last push of effort. There was no sudden relief, even though he felt that he managed the spell successfully - the hours of training with Remus had paid off enough to cast the spell wordlessly, but that was worthless...

Then, it was dark, silent and without any feeling - it was as if someone had turned off all the senses - he couldn't even feel the wolf.

Harry couldn't even tell how much time had passed in such a state.

It felt like years, but it might have been but a few seconds.

However, Harry having lost his connections to the body, didn't mean that there wasn't anyone to take over - his wolf took control in these last few seconds of his life.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

When Harry finally started seeing again, he realised that he hadn't died - the Bubble-Head Charm was in place, even though it looked like it would collapse any second once again. There was a distinct smell of vomit in the stale air of the second Bubble; his wand was once again floating in the water, slowly heading upwards. There were quite a few stains in the water around him - little clouds of blood and some bits and pieces of his breakfast were floating nearby.

Harry's throat felt sore, wet and tasted horrible. He was floating somewhat sideways, Merpeople with some distance from him. Some were even sneering at him, restrained by others. One had a mark of his nails on the already not very handsome looking face.

His own scar was suspiciously calm - there wasn't even a drop of pain from his forehead. Like a thick woolen sweater had been bound around the pain.

Cho and the little girl looked alright, but were further on - apparently he had floated some distance while unconscious. Harry swam up towards his wand, turning himself over, and making the vision spin out of his control for a few more seconds. However, he managed to reach it in time, afterwards casting another Bubble-Head Charm to replace the weaker, collapsing one.

Knowing that he would have to recast the charm a few more times, he still felt a lot safer than seconds before. The lifting property of the Charm felt weaker, but Harry hoped that it would help on the journey upwards. He moved towards the hostages, to finish cutting the rope.

His movements were heavy. Harry didn't want to remember when was the last time he felt as tired.

All he wanted was to sleep, but he couldn't. He had to finish this. There was no such thing as leaving a job unfinished, a task incomplete - he glanced to the side - by the angry looks from the Merpeople he could tell that they wouldn't help him.

He threw another glance at the little girl. The stone on the girl's arm was pulsing, slowly, and calmly. Dumbledore promised that everyone would be safe.

His own stone was absent, but there was a mark where its rope had scraped his arm - there were a few more scratches nearby, too, from someone's nails. Probably his own - Harry was flailing his arms around helplessly, so it might have happened in the blinded panic.

He sighed inside the confines of the Charm.

It was going to be a long way up.

Holding Cho's hand, he started his slow ascend.

He remembered it like one remembers a dream - nothing certain, no images springing to your mind, but some vague recognition and idea remaining.

The Merpeople were following him, holding quite a careful distance, carrying the little girl together with them - that probably meant that he was the last champion to head to the surface.

He paid them no heed, breathing heavily, trying to swim up, while recasting the Bubble-Head Charm every few minutes and wondering when the light would finally appear.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He probably couldn't have found the strength but for the stubbornness of the wolf, and when he finally reached the surface, his head emerging to breath in fresh air for the first time, the Charm shattering for the hundredth time.

Pushing to his last limits, he heaved Cho up too, and was both relieved and scared when he felt her eyes open.

"Harry?" She whispered together with a distant cheer from the stands.

"I hope you can swim," he muttered. The words came out weakly, and were almost impossible to understand due to his sore throat. The warming charm he had cast on himself before chose to fade out at that very moment. Feeling sudden cold, he stopped moving for a second, slipped his head under the water, only to emerge once again, coughing.

Cho was holding herself in the water, and moved to help him a bit. Together, they slowly swam towards the shore - Harry could barely hold himself afloat, and Cho's help proved to be invaluable.

Out of all the crowds in the stands, his gaze wandered towards Dumbledore. The headmaster, a concerned look in his eyes fading, was standing straight with a supporting smile.

They finally reached the bank where the judges stood watching, twenty merpeople accompanying them like a guard of honour, singing their horrible screechy songs.

The crowd was clapping and cheering him on, when Harry straightened himself and tried to help Cho stand up, but almost fell down himself. She grinned at him.

At the same time Fleur was running towards the Merpeople carrying her sister, trying to tear the little girl from their grips.

Harry turned back to Dumbledore - he was safe and he had finished the task. It took that realisation for his will to end and then, his body gave up, burning with pain and fatigue. He fell down, before anyone managed to catch him, his hand slipping out from Cho's light grip. The last thing he heard was a scared Cho's gasp, followed by a whisper his name.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Harry," he awoke to Pomfrey's concerned, yet annoyed voice. "Next time, please don't try to exert yourself so much."

He tore his eyes open, still sore everywhere, but not as much. He was in the hospital wing. Again.

"You need to drink a few potions, and then you will have to rest a bit more," she added in more pleasant tones. "Here."

He blinked, taking a deep breath - there were quite a few people outside. "How is everyone else?"

"They're well," Pomfrey assured him, pushing the potion in his hands. "Now, please, drink."

He complied, wincing from the foul taste, as horrible as it usually was.

"Now," she started explaining, "I'm going to let everyone in, but you'll have to promise me that you're not getting out of the bed."

Harry had nothing else to say but nod.

Cho was the first to enter, her dark hair dry and tied at the back – there were no visible mark that she had been under the lake, but Harry knew better. She almost tackled him, not really listening to Pomfrey's warnings, flooding him with a pleasant scent of cinnamon – the scent he really missed since breakfast.

Cho kissed him, making Pomfrey huff in annoyance. "Potter – you're still in need of rest."

"We'll take care of him," Fred promised.

"Or, she will," George was pointing at Cho, showing her and Harry a strange grin.

"And don't cluster the hospital wing – no more than six..." Pomfrey noticed the Headmaster in the small crowd, and blinked a few times. "Just not too long." And she was gone to her office.

The headmaster stood slightly to the side though, and let Harry's friends have their way with him first.

"What were you thinking?" Hermione waited till Cho climbed off Harry's bed to give him a half-hug. "Why did you go on to the point of exhaustion?"

"He tried his best," Cho winked at Harry. "He couldn't have done otherwise. Right, Harry?"

He could only nod. Again.

"What happened down there?" Ginny only touched his shoulder, her arm lingering for half a second, her Heartbeat slightly louder than usually. "Can you tell us?"

"I'm," Harry began, not really sure what to say, it wasn't something that he would have wanted everyone to know. "I don't really-"

"I am impressed." There was a harsh laughter – Viktor Krum was standing only a few steps nearer than Dumbledore. "You cost me first place," he crossed his arms to reinforce the words. "And managed to finish."

"I'm sorry?" Harry offered, uncertainly.

"It is good - you haff made it interesting again." Viktor nodded at his fellow champion. "Just be ready for our competition. Ve vill haff to talk later."

Cedric laughed. "He is going to be more than ready - look at him, he already wants to get up."

Diggory wanted to offer a handshake for Harry, but was beaten to it by Ron.

"You scared me there for a moment, mate," Ron hit Harry lightly on the shoulder. "But I knew you could make it. Two tasks and twice you've won the second place."

"Second place?" Harry echoed, surprised.

Diggory scratched the back of his head, slightly uncomfortable. "I'm in the lead, but you are not too far behind. They decided to not take many points for your late arrival, since whatever happened down there wasn't a part of the task," Diggory threw a glance at Krum. "No one knows for sure, and Viktor isn't talking."

"I haff told your headmaster, but..." Viktor shook his head. "I do not gossip." Krum shrugged in response to the strange looks others gave him, and, remembering something, he took out a small red stone from the pocket. He threw it for Harry to catch. "Haff this one in place of one I took."

Harry caught the tiny red ball that glowed together with two thumps of his heart and then stopped glowing again.

"They're still working?" George looked at the little stone with wonder. "Could we, by any chance, borrow it?"

"For a few experiments," Fred clarified. "Nothing dangerous."

That drew a smile from Harry and he threw the small stone to George, who promptly caught it in his hands. Harry noticed a little smile in Dumbledore's face too - the Headmaster looked happy to see him interacting with his friends. An almost inaudible chuckle was brought out by this action, too. Harry would have guessed that the little stones were made by the headmaster himself, and wondered why the one he had, had came off as easy as it did.

His friends didn't stay with him for long, because they did notice the headmaster standing there, and no one wanted to make Dumbledore wait too long. Even if the headmaster didn't really mind. Cho was the last one to leave, releasing Harry's hand reluctantly, promising to return after a while.

When she was out sight, Dumbledore took out his wand in a swift motion and started weaving a layer of spells. Every door closed and flickered with different scents that Harry associated with powerful magic. Only after a vast array spells were complete did Dumbledore conjure a small table and from the depths of his robes he took out a fragile silver instrument. Harry couldn't even to begin guessing what its function was, only that there was an incredibly faint trace of blood and magic in the surrounding scents.

Putting the instrument onto the conjured desk, Dumbledore sat down on a comfortable chair, conjured with another wave of his hand. Correcting the instrument's placement to face them both, the headmaster tapped it gently with the tip of his wand. The instrument tinkled into life at once with rhythmic clinking noises. Tiny puffs of pale green smoke issued from the minuscule silver tube at the top. Dumbledore watched the smoke closely, his brow furrowed. After a few seconds, the tiny puffs became a steady stream of smoke that thickened and coiled in the air… a serpent's head grew out of the end of it, opening its mouth wide.

"Naturally, naturally," murmured Dumbledore apparently to himself, still observing the stream of smoke without the slightest sign of surprise. "But in essence divided?"

"Sir?" Harry asked, watching the serpent with teeth bared at the image. "I don't understand..."

The smoke serpent, however, split itself instantly into two snakes, both coiling and undulating in the dark air. They weren't identical, though - one looked bigger and calmer, and the other was looking like it was hissing at something that was outside of the smoke. There were other shapes in the mist too; Harry could almost see a shade of wolfish eyes glittering near one of the snakes, replying to its hiss with a glimmer of teeth from the dark smoke. With a look of grim satisfaction, Dumbledore gave the instrument another gentle tap with his wand: the clinking noise slowed and died and the smoke serpents grew faint, became a formless haze and vanished.

The instrument floated itself back to hide in the robes, while Dumbledore chose the moment to dispel the table from their view. Harry, meanwhile, was looking at the Headmaster expectantly, waiting for some explanation.

Dumbledore sighed. "Sometimes," he began after a moment of silence, while stroking his beard, wand already hidden. "I wish for the mysteries of the world to be simpler, to make their pursuit an easier task and the problems quickly solved. Yet, the search itself, and the mind working to connect the loose threads is too wonderful thing to lose, even when knowing things beforehand would ease the troubles of life, don't you think?

"Viktor Krum has been most forthcoming in his explanation – the Durmstrang Institute boasts in their ability to understand and recognise the Dark Arts with good reason. Mr. Krum has done exactly so, and has come to me with his insights. Before I can tell you, however, I need to know how things have happened from your perspective." Dumbledore raised his hand slightly as Harry looked confused, but ready to speak his objections. "It is not to hide something from you, but rather, to hear an uninfluenced account of what had happened."

"I was at the Merpeople village, and saw the hostages, when..." Harry swallowed. "When Voldemort attacked. I don't know how that happened... It was strange - alike when my scar hurts whenever he is angry. But this time, there was a presence of some kind in my mind, I don't know. He tried to drown me, and my Charm failed..."

Harry was unhappy with the words he could find. There should have been a better way to describe the panic, the darkness and the threats, tearing into his flesh, and the sharp sensations of drowning. Then again, there probably weren't enough words for it – his memories of Voldemort's assault were made up of strong impressions of scents and feelings.

"I remember seeing Viktor glowing, maybe; Hermione was gone and then I was back in." Harry made a pause. "I dream of the forbidden forest sometimes, running as a wolf. I think I was there in this vision, too. And Voldemort was saying that he was done with me. I was drowning, but my wolf interfered and he was gone. I don't know how I managed to survive. There was some kind of pain and then I felt Voldemort's anger that was gone in another second."

"Did you scar hurt afterwards?" Dumbledore looked in better spirits than before. "Do you remember Voldemort being in pain?"

Harry shook his head. "It was aching at most afterwards - there was no usual pain. I don't know about Voldemort, though, sir. Maybe? Why would he get hurt?"

"That you didn't feel pain might mean exactly opposite for Voldemort - he must have started to close his own mind to yours in defence. I believe, the answer lies in the connection that exists between you and Voldemort. When you survived the Killing Curse, it rebounded and destroyed the physical body of Voldemort. However, he was using some kind of magic to stay alive even with his body destroyed." Dumbledore stroked his beard, taking a deep breath, allowing Harry to think about what was being said. "I'm not sure what exact magic was in use, but then I never was an expert of vilest magics... I have learned enough to know that all the methods of near immortality, for there is no true immortality in the world, come with a heavy price on one's soul. The Killing Curse, as you should know from your classes, is a curse that rips the soul from the body. Already strained and fractured, Voldemort's essence must have shattered from the spell, and you, being a young child, might have been susceptible enough for the part of his very soul to touch you."

Dumbledore was looking directly at Harry's scar. "This connection between the two of you was something that, I had believed, could be very dangerous to you and those around you. Today, I received some answers concerning it, even if the manner in which they were acquired left me desiring I never knew them - you lived through a great danger today, Harry."

"I'm fine," Harry muttered out of habit, but his mind was already racing in other directions – the scar was a gateway for Voldemort to attack his thoughts and soul – that was what had happened mere hours before. It was a chilling thought, to say the least.

"The bond itself is in essence divided pieces Voldemort's soul, trying to reach each another. It is my belief that it could be used in two ways - either you reaching out to him, or otherwise. You have seen some of the proof today."

Harry was staring wide eyed. "Voldemort can see what I am doing? At any time?"

"I don't believe so." Dumbledore smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. "Well, he could, but he won't."

"I don't understand?!" Harry was getting angrier, even though he was trying not to be. "You are telling that he won't try to reach me, even though he, obviously, tried exactly that today!"

"And it was very painful for him to do so. The connection existing between you is even more complex than I could have imagined - as one of you reaches out to the other, either consciously or without the intention to do so, the souls clash.

"You can't just take a piece of Voldemort's tainted soul and merge it with an innocent child's soul - you can't mix a part of something with the whole when talking about souls. Your souls, your life essence are fundamentally different from one another's. Thus, when you, unconsciously, overcome this difference in moments of Voldemort's weakness, for uncontrolled emotion is a bane of every Occlumens... You glimpse into Voldemort's mind and you feel the pain. The small piece of his soul that exists within you is so foreign that it translates these differences into pure pain."

Harry wasn't sure what an Occlumens was exactly, but he had heard the word in conjunction with Legilimency, so he didn't have to ask yet.

"And this is an incredibly small piece we are talking about - something akin to a footprint in the sand. When Voldemort tries to reach out to you, he is repulsed by your very soul - your life and your values being radically different from his, your soul itself is fighting him. And here, he's the one who sacrificed the integrity of his soul to try and reach immortality. The pain he would feel from initiating such a contact is tremendous."

Harry opened his mouth, closed it, and then gasped quietly. "He felt me when I had a vision before the last moon. I remember him feeling pain..."

"Precisely," Dumbledore said with hints of triumph in his voice. "And, there's yet another thing we must consider. Yet another advantage you have over Voldemort. Your wolf - it is one of the few examples of magic influencing people's souls. Influencing, but not maiming - the lycanthropy curse doesn't change your soul, but rather wakes up a different aspect of it come every full moon.

"The wolf you feel is essentially your own soul, behaving in patterns that already have been inside you. Another side of your life, together - two sides of the same soul. It's one of the reasons the curse is incurable - to cure the affliction you'd need to remove your own soul and that can be done only by destroying it whole."

Dumbledore conjured himself a glass of water, and another one for Harry, while taking a drink from his own. Harry nodded for the Headmaster to continue.

"I have been extensively researching the topic in whatever time I could find, and added together with the experience of trying Legilimency on you, I have come to an interesting conclusion - the contact from an outside source always enacts a reaction. A skilled Legilimens uses that subconscious reaction to understand the target's mind and to find the information he wishes to. With werewolves, the feel of foreign presence is angering and threatening, thus making every try at Legilimency dangerous. A prolonged exposure to something trying to latch onto your mind provokes an even stronger reaction, strengthening the wolfish parts of one's mind, making them rise up in a constant defence against the assailing force.

"By no means could it be compared to what an experienced Occlumens could accomplish, but it is a defence nevertheless. An aggravatingly dangerous one, too. Thus, with the connection between you and Voldemort being similar in nature to an attempt in Legilimency - you constantly feel the wolf in your mind."

"How was Voldemort able to attack me, though?" Harry frowned. "If the wolf part of my soul is aware of the connection, and should have been defending me?"

"It wasn't a mind attack in a regular sense of the word." Dumbledore took another drink. "He was trying to possess you - presumably hoping to drown you in the lake. Voldemort is a skilled practitioner of the mind arts, probably one of the best there are - it was something alike what had happened to young Miss Weasley in her first year. He knew that he was against a werewolf's mind, thus, he must have tried to be as careful as possible, as not to alert the wolf too soon. All he needed was to remove whatever charm you have erected to stop yourself from drowning and watch - a perfect opportunity to use, from his point of view.

"As far as Mr. Krum's account on the events goes, he might have been successful for a second or two, as he managed to remove the Bubble Head Charm, a very well cast spell on your part. Viktor noticed signs of possession, but in his state he was not in the position to recast a charm on you, to help you stay on the water, thus he attempted to reach for the stone. I had made those for your safety." Dumbledore sighed quietly. "Had he not interfered, the stone would have worked, but when he tried to activate it for you... It worked, but not how Mr. Krum had intended, removing Krum and his hostage from the Lake and placing you in the incredibly dangerous position. A dangerous, yet unintentional mistake. I hope you won't hold it against your fellow champion.

"From what you have told me, I assume that the wolf found the source of incursion and shut it down in time for you to recast the Charm and then, even complete the task."

Harry still hadn't touched his glass of water, but he was watching the water inside swirl with the thumps of his heart. "I thought the stones were personal?"

"Ah - I wanted them to be so, but that would have required hair or blood of the participants and Madam Bones wasn't convinced that we should go to such lengths as well as insisting that they would only work on the one who is activating them - for she was afraid that some champions would try to cheat by activating the stones of others, thus, effectively getting rid of the competition. She has told me to give you her apologies on the matter."

"What am I going to do now?" Harry asked loudly after a while, panic ringing in his voice. "I've got a piece of Voldemort's soul in me! I want it gone!"

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><p>The chapter had a few small quotes from Rowling's Order of Phoenix. Something from the Goblet of Fire might have snuck in too. I didn't mark any of those, as always.<p> 


	28. The Talk

**Disclaimer**: Harry can Rowling trough every obstacle.

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**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXVIII

The Talk

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"It's not that simple, Harry," Dumbledore said, his calm voice trying to defuse the rising anger and fear. "You cannot just remove a soul from the body. Even when it's not your own soul we are talking about."

"But I have a piece of him inside me?" Harry was shaking his head in disbelief. "This piece, it's been there since that Halloween? And you haven't told me?!"

"Harry."

"Why didn't you tell me when I asked you before?"

"I do not possess knowledge of everything – all I had at the time was speculation. After that tragic Halloween, I have been trying to grasp at the mystery that you presented to me. You were but a small child then, and speaking about it with you would have been impossible. Yet – I must admit that I already had my suspicions about the connection between you and Voldemort.

"When you arrived at Hogwarts... it became apparent, shortly after you rejoined the magical world, that I was correct, and that your scar was giving you warnings when Voldemort was close to you, or else, feeling powerful emotion."

"And you knew that the connection could work both ways?" Harry asked, disbelief in his voice. "When I just arrived at Hogwarts?"

"I feared it might have been so. Yet – Voldemort was at his weakest, and this ability of yours, to sense him, even disguised, to feel the moments of his emotion while experiencing pain... I feared that whenever Voldemort realised of the connections existence, he could potentially use it against you. I couldn't just conduct tests or warn you, without in turn warning him.

"When you arrived at Hogwarts for the first time... well, you must remember the events of your first year at Hogwarts quite as clearly as I do. You rose magnificently to the challenge that faced you and sooner - much sooner - than I had anticipated, you found yourself face to face with Voldemort. You did more than an adult wizard could have hoped to achieve – you delayed Voldemort's rise to his former power.

"Your mother's protection – the incredible magic of old, it made me believe that you were safe. Your connection with Voldemort, I believed, was no exception, and the magic would keep you out of harm's way. And, it wasn't like I could share my suspicions with you. Eleven, I told myself, was much too young to know. The knowledge would be a burden at such a young age. I couldn't bring myself to shatter your childhood.

"And – most importantly of all – I had only guesswork then. I couldn't live with myself if I put an unnecessary burden on your shoulders, a burden that was never there to begin with. How could I do so for the one I care this much about?"

Harry shifter uncomfortably, drinking a first drink from the glass, cold water soothing his tingling throat a little.

"That was a flaw in my reasoning – and yet, I persisted on repeating the mistake – when you faced another challenge at your second year. Once again you met challenges even grown wizards have never faced: once again you acquitted yourself beyond my wildest dreams. Should I have shared my thoughts then? Should I have made a leap of faith and brought down more trouble than you deserved?

"I allowed you to leave my presence, bloodstained, exhausted but exhilarated, and if I felt a twinge of unease that I ought, perhaps, to have told you then, it was swiftly silenced. You were still so young, you see, and I could not find it in myself to spoil that night of triumph… Even I was prouder of you than I can say.

"Do you understand now, the incredible weakness of my reasoning? I was delaying the inevitable, trying to defend myself from guilt of having to place the weight on your shoulders."

"No, sir," Harry shook his head.

"Your third year." Dumbledore sighed, continuing on. "I had already squandered whatever trust I had deserved. I cared more for your happiness than your knowing the truth, more for your peace of mind than my plan, more for your life than the lives that might be lost if the plan failed. In other words, I acted exactly as Voldemort expects we fools who love to act.

"And I didn't tell you anything once again. You had placed a huge piece of puzzle in my hands in your second year, but I never shared the revelations it gave me."

Harry thought frantically. "The diary, sir?"

"Precisely. I had all this time to think and deduce, to reach answers and find more questions – yet, I was content watching you. And here, I had passed the point of no return. For after learning about your godfather and snatching him from the jaws of the ministry, you found yourself in more trouble than I ever imagined.

"I continued to deceive myself – you were hurt, and the pain of adjusting yourself to a new pattern of life was a challenge enough for you, or so I blindly told myself. But Voldemort, never left you alone, and this foolishness of an old man... It has cost you too much."

"Sirius," Harry muttered almost inaudibly, but Dumbledore didn't need to hear the name to understand.

"You came to me, then and demanded the answers. The answers I had yet to give you. Yet, as consumed by anger you as you were, I couldn't bring myself to do more than promise you that, which should have been yours by right."

Harry waited, but Dumbledore did not speak, choosing to look longingly at his own glass instead.

"You have told explained me about the Voldemort's soul – there is more?"

"Yes. The question that you have already asked me before. The answer to it, I believe, has no right age to be revealed, no preparations to be made beforehand. The reason for his interest in you, the reason that formed together within Voldemort's interpretation of the information he has."

Harry nodded slowly, carefully, fearing to move too fast, as if afraid that a sudden move might scare the Headmaster into withholding something.

"A prophesy was made shortly before your birth. Voldemort knew the prophecy had been made, though he did not know its full contents..." Dumbledore paused and closed his eyes as if regretting the words that he let trough.

"A prophesy?" Harry frowned – he hadn't expected the conversation to head this way. "About me?"

"Harry," Dumbledore spoke up again, opening his eyes – he probably had just finished with whatever inner struggle he had. "You have to know one important thing – prophesies are fickle things – you can never be sure if they will come true or not. The Ministry actually keeps all the records, in the Hall of Prophecy – there are thousands of them, but only a small fraction of them ever came to be."

"Why is it important, then?" Harry frowned. "If it won't come to pass? Or has it already been fulfilled? Do you know what it says?"

"It's important, because Voldemort believes it to be so. You have to understand – Tom Riddle was a boy, for whom, magic was everything – he believes in the magic, in some kind of purpose, perhaps even more so than many others. The prophecy is especially significant to him. It names him as the Dark Lord, and this, he must have taken as another sign of his greatness and believes it to be proof of his power. Another reason to believe he's doing something right."

Harry closed his eyes for a second, the words of Ollivander echoing in his mind. _After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great._

"This, and none other reason, was why your parents went to hiding, hoping to keep you away from Voldemort. Not because of the prophesy itself, but because Voldemort believed that you were an only danger to his power and influence. He set out to kill you when you were still a baby, believing he was fulfilling the terms of the prophecy. He discovered, to his cost, that he was mistaken, when the curse intended to kill you backfired.

"He thinks that removing you would let him return to his full power once more, yet you constantly survive whatever he throws at you – I believe he's going to be even more careful about you, now, that you have proven resistant to his possession attempt. Maybe, even, he'll try to find out the full prophesy, believing that such knowledge could help him defeat you – I dare say it would be favourable move – allowing us to prepare ourselves even more...

"As for the prophesy itself," Dumbledore was looking straight at Harry's eyes. There, Harry could see lots of regret and pain, as well as concern and, what could have only been, support. "It was made to somebody, and that person has the means of recalling it perfectly – as perfectly as records in the Ministry can."

"Who heard it?" asked Harry, though he thought he knew the answer already.

"I did," said Dumbledore. "On a cold, wet night fourteen years ago, in a room above the bar at the Hog's Head inn. I had gone there to see an applicant for the post of Divination teacher, though it was against my inclination to allow the subject of Divination to continue at all. The applicant, however, was the great-great-granddaughter of a very famous, very gifted Seer and I thought it common politeness to meet her. I was disappointed. It seemed to me that she had not a trace of the gift herself. I told her, courteously I hope, that I did not think she would be suitable for the post. I turned to leave..."

Dumbledore's gaze lost its focus, and he turned it to the side. "If you ever so desire, I keep a copy of it in my office, under a dozen protections, but I could show you," Dumbledore spoke seemingly without connection. "Now, the memory is deep in my mind, and considerably faint for such an important thing. Yet, I believe I can try to recite it from my memory. She wasn't herself – spoke with a harsh voice, completely lost in the vision, but the words were clear, and cruel."

Harry held his breath.

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies; the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not; either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives; the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies_…"

Silence fell after the Headmaster finished, his voice echoing in the room, the various enchantments quietly humming, filling Harry's nose with scents of magic.

Harry could imagine the words being said in the late evening in a dark room. Divination was a dodgy subject, but he figured he would be shocked if Trelawney suddenly had a vision, her words echoing as much as Dumbledore's had.

"And she forgot the words as they left her mouth – another sign of a true prophesy, right before my eyes," Dumbledore continued, as if unaware of the strange impact the words had on Harry. "I was fighting a losing war with Voldemort, and here-."

"She gave you a weapon?" Harry asked, half stunned and half scared. "To win the war."

"By all means, no." Dumbledore shook his head. "The prophesy reminded me of hope we all had left us. For until there is hope, nothing is ever truly lost."

"But what does it mean, sir?" Harry was silently mouthing the words back to himself. "Did it mean, what I think it meant?"

"It meant," said Dumbledore, "that the person who has the only chance of conquering Lord Voldemort for good was born at the end of July, more than thirteen years ago. This boy would be born to parents who had already defied Voldemort three times."

"It means – me?" Harry felt like he had been running blind for eternity, to have finally found the hill overlooking the straight path before him. "I can kill him?"

Dumbledore surveyed him for a moment through his glasses, looking slightly disappointed.

"It means nothing." Dumbledore shook his head almost invisibly. "It means everything. We can't know that a prophesy is true until it comes true, and afterwards, we can only guess that it came true."

"But..." Harry blinked a few times, suddenly losing the track of the conversation. "What does it mean for me?"

"It may not have been about you at all. Sibyll's prophecy could have applied to two wizard boys, both born at the end of July that year, both of whom had parents in the Order of the Phoenix, both sets of parents having narrowly escaped Voldemort three times. Yet, when Halloween came..." Dumbledore's eyes were once more gazing upon Harry's. "When I failed to save both your families, when Voldemort chose you... I'm afraid that there can be no doubt about it – the prophesy is about you."

"Sir," Harry's tone was unsure. "You're not making much sense – how can it mean nothing but be about me without a doubt at the same time?"

"The final identifying feature of the boy who could vanquish Voldemort – Voldemort himself would mark him as his equal. And so he did, Harry. He chose you and he left you a mark."

Harry's hand travelled to his scar almost unconsciously.

"He chose the boy he thought most likely to be a danger to him," said Dumbledore. "And notice this, Harry: he chose, not the pureblood (which, according to his creed, is the only kind of wizard worth being or knowing) but the half-blood, like himself. He saw himself in you before he had ever seen you, and in marking you with that scar, he did not kill you, as he intended, but gave you powers, and a future-"

"And a piece of his soul?" Harry's voice rang slightly hollow, interrupting the Headmaster. "He was banished and left me a piece – that's how I speak Parseltongue. Is that it? Is this the power he knows not – he doesn't know about the piece of soul in me? Because he knows that I'm a werewolf."

"My interpretation wouldn't be as literal – a power he knows not should mean something that he is incapable of doing, something that is against his nature. Something that, in essence, stems from your mother's sacrifice – a purest form of love, such that a broken soul of Voldemort cannot even begin to comprehend it."

Then, Harry did something that Dumbledore didn't expect. He laughed. It was a weak, harsh and wolfish laugh, with him baring his teeth more than making sound, but it was laughter nonetheless.

Dumbledore stared at him, concerned, curious.

"Why did he come to me when I was just a child, then?" Harry got his laugher under control, his voice echoing the challenge of the wolf. "He was afraid that his prophesised enemy would fight him on equal terms? What was that part - neither can live... while the other survives? In the end, it's going to be me or him?"

"Yes."

For a while time, neither of them spoke. Even Harry's wolf fell silent, his challenge accepted. There was both fear and a weird kind of anticipation inside him – he both relished and felt doomed by the prophesy. Both of them took the time to drink their water. Dumbledore treasured every drop, drinking slowly, looking as old as ever, and Harry downed it in one gulp.

"Good." Harry was first to break the long silence. "Now, at least I know the reason."

"You're allowing yourself too much anger," Dumbledore said calmly. "I didn't expect you to accept this like that – it is a burden that no man would bear lightly."

"I know," Harry sighed. "I didn't want to be forced to fight Voldemort, but after everything he has done, it's only fair that it's me who can bring him what he deserves. It's something that feels so right to believe in."

"I never wished this for you." Dumbledore offered hesitantly. "Never."

Harry looked up at him and saw a tear trickling down Dumbledore's face into his long silver beard.

"Sir?" Harry asked slowly, yet with a hint of burning determination. "What is going to happen now? I cannot go and face him now – I know too little - I'm going to need all the help you can give?"

Dumbledore nodded, once. "Even when I don't believe that you should focus so much on revenge."

"I..." Harry let out a small growl. "I know that I have to kill him one day – or even more people are going to end up dead. I can't – I can't let that happen. We have talked about this!" Harry almost shouted the last words. "You know that I can't choose anything else but fight!"

"You can." Dumbledore slowly stood up. "But we're not going to talk about that. With the current rules on the tournament, I cannot teach you as much as you hope I could. I think the lessons with Remus should continue, and even if Remus decides to stop teaching regular classes, I'll give him means to arrive at the castle every week. And now," the Headmaster started waving his wand once more, vanishing empty glasses and the conjured seat. "I should probably let Poppy back in, before she's too angry at me."

"Thank you." Harry slumped back onto the bed, already somewhat calming himself down. "For telling me the truth."

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Cho had returned not long afterwards, and now the two of them were impatiently waiting for Pomfrey to finally proclaim him healthy enough to leave. She had promised that he could spend the night in his dormitories, but was incredibly good at deflecting the questions about when exactly that would happen.

"Wotcher, Harry," there came a greeting from the doorway. "You're still here?"

"Tonks?" Harry nodded to the young Auror. "Did something happen?"

"Wanted to visit before I leave with Kingsley. I'm not intruding, am I?" Tonks was playing with her bubblegum pink hair, while looking at Cho. "You're Harry's girlfriend, right? I'm sorry, but I'm not sure about name, was it Cho?"

"Yes," Cho smiled, speaking somewhat tentatively. "Do I know you?"

"We've met," Tonks quickly shifted her hair to dark grey, smiled sheepishly, and after a few moments turned it back, this time giving them a reddish tone of pink.

"You're a metamorphmagus?" Cho's eyes glittered with interest. "I never knew anyone with the talent!"

"Is there a way to learn it?" Harry suddenly asked, interested in the talent too.

Tonks shook her head, chuckling. "No - you're either born with it, or without. It's supposed to be hereditary, but it's known to jump a few generations. Bet that you wouldn't mind to hide that scar sometimes, eh?" Her eyes found the lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead.

Harry glanced at Cho and then back to Tonks, and shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Maybe."

"Was it difficult to learn to control it?" Cho asked; her curiosity still unsatisfied. "I've read that sometimes there are uncontrolled changes involved?"

Tonks laughed, sitting down on the nearby bed. "Only in the childhood; And then, again, it's as easy as learning to walk. A lot more useful, though. I got top marks in Concealment and Disguise during Auror training without any study at all, it was great."

Cho nodded, impressed.

"Nearly failed on Stealth and Tracking, though. And we're supposed to always be up to shape," Tonks said the last part not really directing it at anyone. "With the failure that our work today has been, their probably going to try and find even more things to question." She slapped her knees once. "I knew today wasn't going to go well."

"It's not your fault." Harry allowed himself a tiny smile. "I can't do anything if trouble comes seeking me."

"I don't think it's your fault either." Tonks sighed. "I don't suppose you could tell me about what happened – Dumbledore looked really concerned?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "Dumbledore told me to keep it to myself for a while." He turned to Cho and took her hand into his. "Sorry. I'll have to tell you later."

"I don't need to know," Tonks assured him. "But this wasn't why I came to you."

"Oh?" Harry gave her a curious look, holding Cho's hand, feeling her slow heartbeat through the skin.

"I actually wanted to talk about Sirius." She looked slightly hesitant to bring this up.

It was like a shade ran through Harry's face for half a second, his eyes narrowed, and his expression hardened, but then, it was gone, and he already had the mostly relaxed look on him. Tonks blinked a few times, thinking that she had imagined it.

"Of course," Harry said softly. "But I don't know much."

"I don't know anything," Tonks muttered. "I remember something of about him, but it's an impression at most. And people talk like he really liked my mother. For so long, he was just another Black that went bad in the end, and now, it turns out that he's innocent. I feel like I owe his memory," she sighed. "It's like I'm missing one short conversation or a long heartfelt talk. Like there's something I should have done."

"Have you tried talking to Moony?"

Tonks only blinked at that.

"Sorry," Harry smiled faintly, "I meant Remus Lupin."

"Moony?" She grinned. "I'll try to remember that. I sense there's a story there?"

Harry shrugged. "Well, he's a werewolf."

Tonks didn't even miss a beat. "Cool."

Harry smiled, in awe, and started talking about his father and friends, thinking that maybe, Tonks wasn't too friendly after all.

Both Cho and Tonks spent quite a while listening to Harry, who tied to convey the tales he had gathered from Sirius and Remus in the long waits for the full moon to finally begin. Harry didn't even notice the time passing, until Pomfrey was standing before them, proclaiming him free to leave the hospital wing.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

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><p>There had been quite a few quotes from Rowling's Order of Phoenix, and maybe, something from Goblet of Fire, too. I didn't mark them as not to make Dumbledore's explanations even weirder.<p> 


	29. The Pain

**Disclaimer**: Even Rowling has Harry making mistakes.

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXIX

The Pain

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry was zooming at a great speed, the ground rushing to meet him head on, but he didn't rise up to the usual challenge, instead launching towards his left side. However, directly in his way, there was Cho – he had seen her flying that way, but misjudged the distance somewhat. He quickly flew into a canopy roll, diving just under her broom, her legs swooping just before his head for one blink of the eye.

To her credit, she didn't even flinch - she could have knocked him or herself off with one hesitant move – instead, she spun around the broom and was once again in his way. Harry had a faster broom this time, and her weapon must have been getting in the way of his catch while trying to-.

Both Seekers dove down, spinning around each other in the air, both playing and taking everything seriously at the same time. The Snitch was now teasing them, darting between the two of them, buzzing and weaving, getting closer and closer, yet always slipping from their grasp.

When it finally reach the ground, it spun, going straight up again, making both Seekers scatter to different sides, trying to avoid collision with the ground and each other. This time, Cho ended up a lot nearer to the Snitch, and Harry was racing towards her with the speed only Firebolt could muster. Yet, he could only reach forward, while watching how her fingers clasped the tiny golden ball.

She squealed with joy, and launched herself upwards. Then, satisfied with the height, she started flying the circle of victory.

"Cho Chang catches the Snitch!" she shouted against the wind towards Harry, who was trailing not very far behind her, letting her lead the circle. "Harry Potter, the unbeatable Seeker, is finally defeated!"

Harry chuckled merrily – they had been training since early morning, and that was the second catch Cho made that day. And that wasn't counting the catch on Friday evening. Of course, he won most of the times, but he didn't have to lose deliberately – Cho was quickly learning the quirks of his flying.

She slowed down to show Harry that she wanted him to catch up with her. He quickly did so, using the speed of the Firebolt.

"Here." She tossed the golden ball towards him, and he snatched it from the air in a swift motion, before it even managed to spread its wings. "Any more training and we're not going to lift off tomorrow."

"Alright, but I still have a lesson with Moony in the evening."

"Don't overwork yourself," she laughed. "Or it'll be too easy."

"I'll try," he promised her, and flying even closer, he leaned towards her to kiss her on the cheek. "Tomorrow is going to be great – Viktor won't know what hit him."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Albus asked me an interesting question yesterday," Remus began after they finished repeating a set of basic defence spells, a routine that Remus had established since the beginning of their private lessons.

Harry just nodded, looking questioningly, waiting for more.

"He asked," Remus continued slowly, watching out for Harry's reaction. "If it was possible for werewolves to learn Legilimency."

"And?" Harry held his breath a little from the anticipation - after learning about the connection between him and Voldemort, he saw the mind arts as an important skill. "Is it?"

Remus smiled. "It was a good question - I don't know. I haven't heard about any werewolves who would know the art."

"Why?" Harry frowned. "Does this have to do something with the wolf or something?"

"Well, even normal wizards rarely know what Occlumency and Legilimency really are, beside those versed in defence Against the Dark Arts." Lupin sighed. "And I'm not a model werewolf. The odds of a wizard werewolf who could have had access to some way of learning mind arts are so miniscule... I don't think anyone even tried."

"But why did the Headmaster ask you..." Harry trailed off. "He wants me to learn Legilimency?"

"Maybe," Remus shook his head. "It's almost impossible without a teacher and I still don't understand why he would want you to."

"Dumbledore knows how." Harry scratched his head a few times. "Do you think he's going to give me lessons?"

"Not until the tournament ends, he can't." Remus shrugged. "Maybe he'll try to teach me, and then I'll have to tutor you. I don't think that's going to be easy, or even doable. I'm still not sure how that would make the wolf react, and I don't really understand why you need to learn it."

"Maybe he wants me to be able to attack?"

Remus stared at Harry. "Attack who?"

"Voldemort." Harry met Remus' surprised gaze. "There's a connection between us – something that he used to endanger me in the tournament."

"That was what it was?" Remus expression twitched in worry. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Harry actually laughed, startling Remus. "It's not that easy for him to affect me – there's still my mother's protection. And the wolf," the last words were said with something of a snarl.

Harry remembered the second his wolf tore into the connection making Voldemort retreat quickly, in pain. He had been incredibly afraid at the moment, but thinking about it now, he actually felt satisfaction. Voldemort had retreated from him – his wolf looked ready to howl a long, victorious howl, telling the world about his enemy's cowardice.

"I see..." Remus hmmed.

"I'm fine," Harry grinned. "I know that I need to learn a lot, but I know that I can do it."

"It's good that you have determination." Remus took a step back, with a hint of a playful mood. "I think we're going to test the strength of your Shield Charm."

Harry groaned.

"If anyone asks," Remus added, before starting a barrage of mild curses, "we haven't talked about Legilimency. I'm not sure I did a right thing, mentioning it to you in the first place."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He returned to the common room late, yet there were quite a few people there still. The main talk of the evening, as far as Harry could hear, was tomorrow's Seeker competition. He smiled - even the second task itself hadn't brought out such anticipation from the Gryffindoors.

The Weasley twins were counting the wagers in the corner of the common room. There even was a small board with offered odds in golden letters. Harry's chances were listed only slightly worse than Krum's, with Diggory lagging a whole lot behind, Cho in the last place.

Harry raised his hand in response to the twins waving him over – they were trying to get him to come to them after Fred saw Harry in the room.

"Harry!" George called, quite loudly. "Want to place a bet?"

Fred punched him in the shoulder. "We can't take bets from him. He's going to bet on Cho and help her win."

George grinned. "That would only make others bet on her," he whispered.

Harry shook his head. "Not betting!" he shouted through the buzz of the common room.

Obviously, they hadn't really expected him to; they wished him luck, and, without losing any time, tried to call another victim to try and make him bet. This time they chose some second year, and when he said no, they didn't let him go as easily as they did with Harry.

Harry snorted and went to sit with his friend – Ron was playing Hermione at chess, and he planned to simply watch them play for a while, while trying not to listen to the general chatter.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

As it was with most evenings, he was one of the last ones to go to bed. He was sprawled on the carpet next to the fireplace, his legs soaking warmth from the fire. He had Cho's Christmas gift next to him, open at some page with small, but useful tips, but he wasn't really reading - his thoughts dwelled on the talk with Dumbledore. Actually, it had been so these few days – the prophesy hung above him like a raised sword and he hadn't yet decided what to do with it.

The whole Second Task fiasco was still etched deep in his mind too. Dumbledore claimed that Voldemort wouldn't try such a thing again, yet how could he be completely sure? Even if the assault could be repelled, the few seconds of losing control could have potentially devastating results. Harry took a deep breath, remembering the sensation of drowning. He was sure - this would be another night filled with nightmares. Would it be worth it going to sleep at all?

He squished the rebel thought - this time, he had to rest, he didn't want to disappoint Cho, nor Krum.

He grinned to himself, staring at the fire - Voldemort had waited ten years to appear in his life again - surely he could wait a few more days.

Except that he couldn't really control his thoughts. He was already standing up to go to his dorm, when he saw Ginny writing something that looked like an assigned essay. Judging by the books nearby - Defence. A train of thoughts ran through him, connecting the Defence books with the training he just had, and then with the recent talk with the Headmaster... And - with the diary. He stood up and started walking, however, not to his dorm room, but towards Ginny instead.

After a few careful steps, while considering to simply letting her work, he sighed and decided otherwise. He looked at the text she was writing before starting to talk, and seeing a small mistake, he suddenly found himself starting the conversation not the way he thought he would.

"You forgot something," he pointed at the parchment from the side.

Ginny flinched. "Harry?"

"Sorry." He paused. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Just - don't do that again." She blinked a few times, and then, looked at where he was pointing. She read the part once more, while biting the top of her quill. "You're sure?"

"Yes." He smiled. "Look here, you have the answer already in your essay - you mention about the bridle when you write about its shapes, and then forget it when writing about the possible ways to deal with it. I'm sure Remus mentioned it a few times, too."

"Oh," she quickly glanced through her essay as though seeing it for the first time. "I did, didn't I?"

"See?"

"Thank you, Hermione," she teased. "You went all the way here to fix my essay?"

"No," his voice rang serious, and he was suddenly speaking more quietly than before. "I wanted to ask you about something you'll probably won't like."

She put the quill down on the desk, and rolled the parchment up.

"I'll finish it tomorrow," she explained without the need. "What did you want?"

"Could we, er-" Harry realized that there were a few students who could potentially overhear. "Talk about it somewhere else?"

"Alright," she stood up, leaving her half-finished essay on top of the desk. "Lead the way."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry took a deep breath. Both because he was nervous, and he didn't want anyone sneaking around them. The passageway they chose was a semi-secret one. It was used almost by every gryffindor when heading towards classes outside, but it was unclear if it was known by any of the other houses. No one else was in it now, though, and beside the slim chance that a stray ghost would suddenly walk in from some wall, Harry was confident that he would scent the would be spy before he could even hear them.

"Well?" Ginny was leaning at the wall, just under the flaming torch, her face hiding in the shadow of her red hair. She sounded conflicted and somewhat embarrassed, but Harry wasn't so sure with distinguishing moods.

"I..." he stuttered - was this even a good idea? "I wanted to ask you about the diary."

Her face whitened from the concealed fear, and her hands started shaking. Just barely enough to be noticed.

"I'm sorry," he added quickly. "I didn't want to bring back bad memories, but I need to know how it felt. I need to know what... to look out for."

"Harry?" she pronounced his name gently, in a whisper. The torch above her flickered a few times like in a small draft.

"I didn't really say everything about the second task, did I?" Harry sighed quietly. "Voldemort attacked me, he, well, tried to do something familiar to what he did to you."

"Will this really help you?" She asked, clenching her hands as hard as she could.

Harry looked at her, his gaze pouring his regret and doubts at her. "It might."

Ginny nodded, once, yet with determination suddenly shining in her eyes. "It was strange - it started with times when I suddenly couldn't remember what I had just been doing." Her voice suddenly became distant as if she wasn't talking about herself. "It was blanks, drops of forgetfulness in the daily routine. I kept forgetting more and more; wasn't paying attention to the things I wanted to pay it to. He had a presence in my mind to make up for these missing pieces. I remember the strange feeling, a sort of blackness inside. It grew every time I wrote in the diary. And I kept loosing myself more and more with each written line."

Her hands started shaking even though she was trying to stop them from doing exactly that. "I've used to blame myself a lot." She found Harry's eyes and locked her gaze onto his, the pain in her eyes screaming at him. "I remember waking up with feathers on my hands. I remember enough to realize that it had been me. I never saw anything clearly, but I had been absent all the times something happened. Every attack happened, and I couldn't remember what I had been doing. And I almost killed everyone. I almost killed You. And I knew it was me trying to kill everyone, it was me walking to speak to the snake.

"He was there to guide me. His presence would overcome me, and I started following his wishes. I couldn't..." Ginny stopped making sense, pouring words fast, trying to get them off her chest. "He was always there. I wanted to tell, I wanted to tell you, Percy, Dumbledore- But there had been a black could of thoughts. I don't know... There always was - something came up, and I couldn't, wouldn't tell, I didn't know how to tell, and they were blaming you. I was afraid to talk near Percy even as I planned to tell him everything at the same time. I was a mess. I remember everything, yet there are gaps... I want to believe that he's gone. You killed him, destroyed the diary, he was gone. But what if he's hiding? What if he returns? Returns and makes me kill people?"

She sniffed her nose, tears appearing in her eyes. "I don't want to hurt anyone, I can't. I can't hurt you."

"Ginny." Harry's thoughts were racing. The diary – it was through it that a connection between Ginny and Voldemort appeared. A drop of Voldemort was hiding in the blood stained pages of his old diary? "Ginny," he called again, when he saw her gaze lose focus. He would have to return to the diary later. "I'm sorry."

She didn't respond.

"I'm sorry," Harry repeated once more. He took a step forward and wrapped her in a hug. That was when she started crying for real, digging her face into his robes, grabbing him like her life depended on it.

He let her cry it all out. Every drop of fear, pain and regret.

Slowly, and carefully, he stoked her hair, marveling at the strength she had been showing all the time. For all this time she had been in pain, alone.

Later, when she had excused herself, calmer, yet still slightly red in the face, Harry went to try and get some sleep too. Contrarily to his belief that he wouldn't manage to sleep with the guilt of having forced a useless confrontation between Ginny and her fears, he quickly dozed off. It might have been the tiredness from all the training he did that day, though.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

_He was running in a silent forest. This time, he wasn't chasing anyone, nor running from a threat. This time, he had a purpose. The wolf was in charge, showing him the way, but he knew that the whole hunt had been his idea to begin with._

_There must have been a source for the scent of darkness inside him, and Harry knew that it was his job to find it. The forest, however, was as cooperative as one could expect – not a hint was in sight, not a single smell led to the hiding place of the dark source. The darkness had simply been there._

_The wolf ran up to the higher hill, one with an old oak and green with the moss, climbed up to the highest point, and, standing high and proud, he howled to the night._

_It was only a matter of time till he found the source. And then, Harry knew, the wolf would tear it apart, would destroy everything he could. Harry knew that it would be hard, probably the hardest thing he had ever done, but in the end, he had the power to cause pain to the Dark Lord. He would make Voldemort pay for all that he did, for every single soul he had hurt. He would have his justice._

_The wolf finished the long howl, bared its fangs and darted forward, trying to find the trail. The forest was silent._

_The hunt was on._

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>This might end up as the shortest FFF chapter yet, and I'm (slightly) sorry for that. However, with quite a lot of things trying to steal my attention from FFF at the moment, it was the best I could do with the time I had.<p> 


	30. The Ploy

**Disclaimer**: Even Rowling has a hard time making Harry loose at Seeking.

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXX

The Ploy

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry woke up, not really feeling anything special about the morning - he hadn't found anything in his dream, yet felt somewhat rested. However, his dorm mates, having woken up early for a change, were quick to remind that it wasn't just a regular Sunday.

"Harry! Harry! Harry!" They shouted at him, when he was sitting up in his bed, rubbing his eyes.

He threw a pillow in their general direction. Seamus ducked and let it soar over his head.

"Shut up," he growled, not really angry.

"So, how does it feel to know that you're going to play Krum in a few hours?" Dean asked.

Harry shrugged. "Not that it's going to be much different from the tournament."

"But now, you're doing it together with your girlfriend..." Dean trailed off. "Nervous?"

"Very," Harry said in a bored voice, catching the pillow Seamus threw back at him, to put it in its usual place. "Now, please, let me get ready in peace."

However, peace did not come easy when one was living in a school dorm with everyone gossiping. Even if he didn't have better hearing, Harry sighed, he would probably have heard half of the chatter anyway. The common room was buzzing with excitement, and he hadn't even gone to eat breakfast.

He shook Ron awake - by mentioning Breakfast - a guaranteed way to wake him up even when he slept through the entire commotion; and went to find Hermione.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The stands from the second task were still in place. Harry didn't expect them to be. It was strange, returning to the same place to have a contest again after such a short time, yet, it was entirely different altogether. This time, he was going to do what he liked more than anything – fly to his heart's content. He would be spending time with Cho too.

He chose to walk the way to lake together with Cho, and she was still holding his hand when they walked up to Krum. Cedric joined them in another minute.

Students were gathering, too, taking their places in the stands. And not only students – Harry was slightly surprised to see at least half of the professors gathering in the stands, and, had he seen it right, Ludo Bagman was perched on a comfortable high place and he looked like he was preparing to speak to the crowd.

Following Harry's gaze, Krum smiled."Bagman said he vould talk to the crovd and vatch over."

Cedric let out a nervous laughter, but quickly got himself under control. "A bit more official than I expected."

Krum shrugged.

Cho squeezed Harry's hand and let it go.

"Good luck," they both whispered to each other.

"Good morning young witches and wizards!" Ludo's voice carried all over the stands. "Today we have gathered here again, to watch four incredible Seekers at their best!"

There was a loud cheer from the stands. The wind was rising, but not enough to muffle the crowd – the gusts of wind only tickling Harry's hair.

"We all have wanted to see Harry Potter go against Viktor Krum ever since the first task, and not only our wish has been granted, but we will have a chance to see all what the best Hogwarts Seekers can offer – joining them today, we have Cedric Diggory, a Triwizard Champion who is currently in the lead! And, last, but not least, a beautiful Ravenclaw Seeker you could have seen training with Harry Potter just yesterday! And believe me when I tell you, we're going to have a show today!"

Harry couldn't remember if the spectators were as happy to be there during the second task. Then again – it had been a task where they could only hear Ludo talking about the champions, and now, everyone could see the contest clearly. He saw quite a few Omnioculars glittering in the morning sun.

Following the lead of Krum they bowed to the stands and lifted off. In the air, whatever nervousness Harry had felt was gone in a split second, and he was only eager to wait for the fun to start. Soaring in a wide circle around the lake, they listened to Ludo.

"The rules are going to be simple – we're going to be releasing three Snitches, and whoever doesn't catch one will get to land. Then, if there's more than one player who caught a Snitch, we're going to release a final one, to see who truly is the best Seeker today!"

Harry grinned – it was probably Krum who set it so he wouldn't win too fast. He laughed – knowing how every Hogwarts seeker could fly he felt that Krum shouldn't have it too easy. More, Harry was already hoping for a final where he faced Cho.

Then, Harry saw Snitches being released on the ground, each of the three soaring in different directions. Homing his eyes on the nearest one, he was intently watching its path, and the very second Ludo shouted "Begin!" Harry was already racing in its direction.

To his surprise, Krum either chose the same Snitch, or, wanted to catch all of them by himself, and was gaining on him. Even though the Firebolt was the fastest racing broom in the market, Krum was gaining on him. Harry spun to keep up with the Snitch's manoeuvre, and Krum was already next to him.

That's what it meant to play against a professional.

Harry tried to squeeze every last drop of speed from his broom when the Snitch suddenly plunged downwards. He made the turn slower than Krum by a hair's breadth, and he was the one chasing Krum now. Ludo was shouting something that he didn't listen to – he was focused on the Snitch and his opponent. On the edge of his vision Cho was flying against Cedric, in the race for another golden ball.

Krum leaned to the side, slowing down a drop, but blocking Harry's sight to their target, then increased the speed again just as Harry slowed down to avoid collision. Then, the surface of water had been just before him, and both of them spun to fly along the surface – and Krum was so near to the Snitch that Harry had to desperately reach out for it too – with the last hope dying by the seconds. He was too late – Krum snatched the golden ball and sped upwards.

How long had it been? Two minutes at most – and Krum was already in the lead – and, if he managed to catch the other two... The crowd was wild, chanting "Krum! Krum!". Viktor was flying a circle around the lake, the golden ball glittering in his hand.

Harry shook his head. This wasn't a defeat yet. He spun around, looking for another glint of gold. And he found one – the one Cedric and Cho had been chasing for a while now. But he didn't want to get into that chase – it meant leaving Krum alone to catch the third one. So, he continued his search glancing at the Bulgarian once in a while.

And then, in the surface of the lake, he saw a glitter. It wasn't clear where the Snitch exactly was, but he had a mark.

Krum, finally finished with the circle, was next to him once again. Harry looked at his opponent, and smiled. Krum winked, and then, dove downwards. Had he seen the Snitch? Harry cursed and sped after him. Viktor was once again maneuvering so much that Harry couldn't be sure if the chaise was a real one. The speed was increasing and- No. He was being played. Harry glanced at the water and saw no reflection of the Snitch there, but there was Krum, watching both of their reflections intently.

Harry broke the chase and changed direction zooming towards the sun – Viktor, proving that the previous dive was only an attempt to introduce Harry to the surface of the lake, had to check if the new trail was true – he went after Harry.

Sensing Krum's approach more instinctively than really seeing him, Harry spun in the air, shifting the direction sharply, zooming centimetres past his opponent, riding on the gust of wind.

The stands cheered – not only at them, but at Cedric and Cho. Harry saw Cho at her best – blocking the other Seeker from the Snitch while getting closer to it herself. He didn't have time to sightsee, though, and went to the direction he last noticed some movement.

Having werewolf's senses must have been borderline cheating, as his eyes soon noticed the glimmer of gold once more – Harry pulled of a complicated turn, tricking Krum for a half a second, and dove towards the Snitch. There was another round of applause and cheers from the stands, Ludo was shouting something excitedly, but Harry couldn't get distracted now, could he?

It was their first chase all over again. Krum, moving as if he was born on the broom never did any unnecessary movements, never lost any distance, and what Harry had in speed he made up with anticipation of the best position, and, incredibly, by guessing whim of the wind. Every time Harry tried to get in the way, Krum found the fastest route around him, not slowing one bit, riding the whirlpool of the wind.

The Snitch stopped. And went back towards them – they were flying side by side now. The golden glittering ball zoomed past their extended hands – Harry's reaching hand was swatted away by Krum, but the Quidditch star didn't catch it either. The snitch was going to pass Harry by inches from his ear-

Desperately, seeing the ball getting away from them both, Harry leaned to the side, and almost instinctively, bit at the seemingly empty air with lighting speed, catching the wing of the little ball between his teeth at the very last second.

Krum's hand stopped just before the ball, and he started laughing, staring at the desperate attempts of the Snitch to get away.

Harry grabbed onto the tiny golden Snitch, beating on his lips with his free wing, and raised it high into sky. The crowd went wild, and, looking around, he saw Cho sitting on her broom, ecstatic, holding a Snitch in her hand too.

Diggory, his feet wet from a badly executed turn too close to the water, saluted the three other Seekers and went to land into the stands.

"And Harry Potter steals the third Snitch right from under Viktor Krum's nose!" Ludo was shouting heatedly. "With his teeth, no less! Something I haven't seen in my whole life!"

Krum was still laughing wildly. "Potter Ploy!" he shouted at Harry. "Vonderful!"

"Now, with all three Snitches caught under an incredibly short time, we're going to see who is going to win!"

Harry stuffed his catch into a pocket, and zoomed nearer Cho, to wait for the last part of the contest.

"You did it!" He grinned at her, and received a warm smile in return.

"Just wait till the end," she teased in a playful voice. "We'll see who will be laughing then."

Krum was flying in a circle around them, carefully scanning the lake. With the sun getting higher by the minute and the clouds dispersing slowly, it was getting clearer and clearer – spotting a Snitch would be harder now, too – for the wind had messed up with the surface of the lake, and there were thousands of glittering lights everywhere.

When the Snitch was off, none of them saw it. So, they continued scanning the field, Harry and Cho closer to each other, and Krum, overlooking the lake from above them.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Krum tried to bait Harry into diving down a few times, and Harry returned the favour, yet both Seekers were so sure that the other hadn't seen anything each time, that they didn't even bother trying to race. Cho hadn't been as near to them all these times to be fooled herself, even though she did twitch awkwardly towards the diving Seeker every time. Seemingly, her measure of true Snitch appearing was to look if both Harry and Krum would race after something. The wind was ever rising, making it increasingly difficult to fly straight.

It looked like this would continue for a while, when Cho saw the Snitch.

Harry was sure that she had – her expression changed, and her eyes were darting from both of them to somewhere where the Snitch must have been. He started flying in a circle, a bit faster than before, stealing Krum's attention towards him for a second.

Cho didn't have enough patience to wait for Krum's attention to waver, and she dove towards the Snitch herself – Harry saw the gold glittering in the sun, and straightened his own course. Krum, with but a second of confusion, was already gaining after her.

Harry, seeing that the chances of him reaching Cho and the Snitch in time were slim, turned sharply towards Krum, blocking his way. Like he had learned from Cho. However, Krum rolled on his broom, suddenly flying upside down, his feet almost brushing Harry's.

Harry made another turn, trying to fly towards the Snitch and disturb Krum's moment as much as he could. It wasn't much, and, with another spin from Krum, which didn't make the Seeker slow down one bit, Harry was the one chasing Krum again. Against the heavy wind.

Firebolt was beating any previous records of speed, and Harry, leaned as near the broom as possible, wind hitting him with a force of a waterfall, somehow managed to even out with Krum. They were so close to Cho now, that both of them could easily touch her. Having been delayed by the fickle winds, she was finally reaching for the Snitch.

Then, the little ball decided to play – it zoomed to the left, fluttered its wings sporadically and started jumping upwards, with strange motions, as if it was climbing the invisible stairs of wind. It didn't trick anyone, but the pause let Cho get a drop closer. Then, her broom buckled in the heavy gust of wind, and, noticing that she couldn't turn her broom upwards, she chose instead to appear in Krum's flight path – one of the tricks she liked to pull on Harry.

For the second, Harry thought that she had given the victory to him – he had the chance at the Snitch, and her sacrificial barrier against Krum would let him make the catch. He leaned as much as he could, reaching out, and-

Krum jumped – Cho could only blink, as his broom zoomed past her, and his foot was firmly on her broomstick, slightly mistiming a step - landing on her fingers. She gasped from pain as Viktor made another leap forward, his sudden movement sending her broom astray with a loud crack. Krum caught the Snitch's tiny wings with his fingertips and, without any kind of support anymore, he started falling.

Harry's fingers closed in the empty air, but he swiftly turned sideways, catching Krum's empty hand – the sudden weight sending shivers down his broom, but the Firebolt was a good broom, and Harry's grip was as strong as he could manage.

Cho, fearful and confused, was trying to break out of the mad spin, caused by Krum's crazy jump. The wind was blowing as strong as ever, having caught its victim in its clutches. She was holding onto her buckling broom with only one hand, there were tears in her eyes, and the Comet 260 was shaking, as if having decided that it was its last flight. Krum's broom was speeding down towards the lake, no way near enough to be of any use.

"Cho!" Harry shouted fearfully – he couldn't try to help her if Krum was weighting him down – sweat ran down his spine – could he really hold Krum long enough, watching Cho in danger?

Ludo Bagman was screaming something and the crowd was standing up, watching the three of them in awe – Cedric was mounting his broom again, but he was going to be too late.

"Lower!" Krum shouted at Harry, and, with his hand aching from pressure, Harry complied. It was less of a descent and more of a controlled fall, and when they overtook Cho, Krum, previously holding onto Harry's hand, released himself, sliding from Potter's grasp.

Recognising this as a chance Harry turned sharply, catching Cho's broom in his right hand, allowing his Firebolt into the spin together with her, but slowing it down as much as he could. After a few moments of struggle against the wind, their erratic whirlpool regained a measure of control, and they both slowed down enough to be able to break apart. The Comet even stopped shaking. However, it was letting out strange squeaky noises – Harry wasn't sure if he was the only one who could hear them, but they were very quiet. Thus, he held onto Cho and her broom like his own life depended on it.

Looking down, they saw Krum's head appearing in the surface, and the now cheering crowd broke into a loud applause.

Harry didn't care about that, and, seeing the tear of fright and pain running down Cho's cheek, he leaned forward. His both hands occupied, he unthinkingly did what he felt was natural. He licked it from her cheek, wolfishly, and then nuzzled his nose into her cheek. This action achieved three separate things at the same time. First, Cho reddened as a tomato; second, she broke into a mad streak of giggles; lastly, the crowd started laughing and cheering even more.

Harry, realising how dangerously on the edge of a social faux pas he had just been, started muttering an apology, but Cho silenced him. With a kiss. In front of most of Hogwarts. That sent them stumbling into the ground, but they managed break the kiss and land fairly well, half dismounting their brooms and half crashing into each other.

That was when a crowd of excited Ravenclaws and Gryffindors swarmed them, cheering to them as if they had won. Krum, meanwhile, swam up to the lakeshore, dripping wet, yet in good spirits. The students parted to let him pass, and when he approached Harry and Cho, everyone was expecting something bad. Harry's eyes were glimmering strangely, with a barely restricted rage, and Cho was looking at Krum with disappointment etched in her gaze.

Krum, without losing his smile, moved right up to them, and, seeing their entwined hands grabbed them both and squeezed the wet Snitch between their palms.

"Good game," he offered. "I ove you one broom. Never one vould haff held."

And, he turned around to walk to the ship, leaving Cho and Harry staring at his back, and the wet trail he was leaving behind himself. Hermione, after seeing that both Harry and Cho were fine, looked at them apologetically and darted after Krum. Then, she started drying his clothes with a few charms – Harry could hear her muttering about wet clothes in the cold wind. Krum wasn't protesting much.

"Does this mean that you won?" a Ravenclaw asked.

Cho and Harry looked at each other, surprised at the thought.

"Yes!" shouted Fred.

"We told you – Harry and Cho draw for the first place!" George hastened to add.

"Hey!" Rodger Davies protested. "You're saying it only because you want to win the bet!" And that was enough to start a whole heated argument about who was to be counted the winner and who wasn't.

The couple of Seekers, a fluttering Snitch still grasped in their joined hands, laughed. "You won," they whispered to each other at the same time, not releasing the Snitch - holding onto it like it was a dream come true. In a way, it was.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Next Tuesday, Krum came up to the Ravenclaw table, where Harry and Cho were sitting together with Marietta and Cedric, carrying a rather distinctly broom shaped package.

Cho froze when she saw it. "You were serious?" she muttered as Krum grinned and pushed the broom into her hands.

"I alvays do as I say," Krum sat down next to them.

"I can't take this," Cho whispered at the same time as she was opening the package to reveal the handle of a Firebolt. "I can't take this," she protested louder. "It's worth a fortune!"

"Take it." Krum laughed at the stunned expressions at the table. "It vas free model they sent me."

Cho glanced at Harry, who was smiling and nodding, then, at Marietta, who managed something of a nod, and Cedric, who was grinning at her too.

"Thanks." She muttered, glancing back at Harry. "It's more than I could have wished for."

"You did like to fly my Firebolt," Harry's hand was playing with her loose hair. "Now you have one of your own."

"Krum!" There was a shout from behind the Bulgarian Seeker. "I could kiss you." Rodger Davies was grinning madly, like Wood had when Harry got his Firebolt.

Viktor shook his head, looking slightly scared at the idea.

"Or not." Rodger shrugged and grabbed Cho and Harry into a big hug. "I knew that the two of you together would lead to great things. The next Quidditch Cup is ours!"

"Hey," Diggory protested, "don't count your victories just yet."

Rodger ruffled Harry's hair. "But we have Harry Potter on our side! He can't play against Cho!"

Harry nudged Davies with his elbow. "I'll help Cho only when we're playing Krum or Slytherins."

"You don't want Ravenclaw to win?" Cho pouted playfully, and the Ravenclaw table broke into a friendly laughter at the confused and embarrassed expression on Harry's face.

After all - it was one of the good days.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>This was one of the chapters that took me a while to write for some reason.<p> 


	31. The Bug

**Disclaimer**: Harry wouldn't hurt a fly, would he, Rowling?

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXXI

The Bug

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/VVVV\

_**Harry Potter's Famous Rival**_

_A boy like no other, perhaps - yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thinks that he can find solace in his two lady friends, Muggle-born Hermione Granger and Half-blood Cho Chang. Little did he know that he would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in life, already littered with personal loss. Viktor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker and hero of the last World Quidditch Cup, has set his sights on both these ladies, and Harry Potter can only clench his fists in rage._

_Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Harry couldn't satisfy alone. Since the arrival at Hogwarts Viktor Krum, claiming to be smitten with Miss Granger, has set his sights on the girl, stealing her affections from Harry Potter. He has already invited her to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer holidays, and claims that he has "never felt this way about any other girl."_

_However, it might not be the truth with the devious Bulgarian – seeing Harry spending his time with Cho Chang, a talented seeker just like he, decided to steal Cho Chang's affections for himself as well. After seeing her abilities at Quidditch, Krum promised his new prey a new broom. And what broom that was – sources claim that he gave Cho the current best racing broom on the market – the Firebolt, thus making a sizable dent in his savings._

_Witnesses claim that both Chang and Granger continue to play with Harry's feelings, rather than openly admit their love for the famous Bulgarian. Here, at Daily Prophet, we wish the Boy-Who-Lived the best of luck, and hope that he won't be deceived any longer. Yet, we issue a warning to both of the ladies to be as careful as possible, for Harry Potter is famed not only for his Quidditch achievements, but for his heated rage..._

Harry tore the magazine in half and threw it on the ground, missing the Common Room's fireplace by a few inches.

"Hey," Ginny glued the two parts together with a simple spell. "It's not mine."

"Sorry," he muttered, not really sorry. Disappointment was dripping in his voice. "Today is going to be just great."

She grabbed his arm as he was walking away. "Harry."

"What?" He looked at her, grinding his teeth.

"Harry." She repeated once more. "Stop for a second and think."

He blinked.

"Why do you think I gave you this to read?" Ginny released him tentatively, seeing that he was at least pretending to listen. "Calm down – you don't need to be angry."

"But she-"

"Harry!" She lightly punched his shoulder, and continued in a mocking tone. "I'm Harry Potter and the world hates me, I'm all alone. WAKE UP!"

He reeled back at her shout, as it came too loud and too close for his comfort. But he was really listening to her now.

"You have a lot of friends, a beautiful girlfriend, you're famous-" She raised a finger to his lips before he even opened his mouth to object. "And you're not famous for things you haven't earned – you are in the second place of the Triwizard tournament, and you did almost beat Krum at Quidditch.

"But, most importantly of all – everyone who is your friend doesn't care one bit about what Skeeter is writing. Why should you? Do you really want to go, meet up with Cho and ruin the day for her and yourself? Why should you care, Harry?"

"I..." He turned to something he knew he couldn't forgive Skeeter. "She wrote the article about Sirius."

"I know." Ginny gently touched his shoulder. "We're all sad that you couldn't spend more time with Sirius. But this – why are you keeping the wound open? Why are you trying to find a just reason to be angry?"

"I don't know... She hurt me. She tried to destroy Sirius' memory - I can't forgive her."

"Then don't."

Harry was ready to reply that he couldn't stop hating her even if he wanted to, but- Instead, he chose to answer with short moment of stunned silence.

"Hate her, dislike her, ignore her – is there any difference what you think about her? You just don't have to let it consume you."

"You know," Harry said after another pause. "Dumbledore said something similar."

"See." She smiled brightly at him. "I know what I'm talking about."

"Thanks," he offered, and tried to change the topic. "Want to join us for lunch?"

"Ah," Ginny's previous determination faltered. "I promised to eat with Luna today."

"Wicked. I'm eating at Ravenclaw table, too. With you, Cho and Luna, I'll forget about Skeeter in no time." He did say her name with a cold hate echoing in his voice, but otherwise he was a lot calmer than before.

"Fine," Ginny grumbled a little. "Just don't get angry."

"I won't," Harry promised. "Shall we go?"

When Ginny noticed a couple of students staring at them, she quickly nodded and darted towards the exit, slightly embarrassed – she was starting to get used to meeting Harry every other morning, when no one had woken up yet.

The few onlookers were to be expected in the middle of the day, but it was a surprise for her. And she had almost slipped and said 'werewolf' out loud.

"Have they been watching us all the time?" she asked as they were heading down the stairs.

"Who?" Harry though for a second. "Fred and George? Or Neville?"

"What?" Ginny almost missed a step. "I meant Gryffindors in the common room. What was that about the twins?"

Harry hmmed. "They heard you raise the voice and stopped to listen. Half of the Gryffindors probably heard us too."

"Half?"

"I might be exaggerating," he clarified. "But yes, people heard us."

"I'm sorry I made a scene."

"Just - let's leave Skeeter and the spies alone." Harry frowned. "It was hard to do so even when you haven't reminded me."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Leaving Skeeter out of the conversation didn't work out at all, for one Hermione Granger, having joined the Ravenclaw table together with Ron, was thinking about Skeeter too. The Witch Weekly magazine was actually travelling throughout all the Hogwarts at that very moment, and Harry already could tell that Potions with the Slytherins would be horrible.

"But how would she know that Viktor invited me to Bulgaria?" Hermione asked, not directing the question at anyone in particular.

"There's a lot of ways to find the information you need." Cho shrugged from beside her. "Maybe she simply heard it second hand?"

"We were alone at the time-"

"What?" said Ron, dropping his fork with a loud clunk. "Bulgaria?"

"He asked me right after we were out of the lake," Hermione muttered. "After the Headmaster's spell wore off. Madam Pomfrey gave us both blankets and then he sort of pulled me away from the judges so they wouldn't hear, and he said, if I wasn't doing anything over the summer, would I like to -"

"And what did you say?" said Ron, who had picked up his fork and was grinding the potatoes in his plate into paste, pushing some of it on the table, because he was only looking at Hermione.

"And he did say he'd never felt the same way about anyone else," Hermione went on, going so red now that Harry could almost feel the heat coming from her, "but how could Rita Skeeter have heard him? She wasn't there ... or was she? Maybe she has got an Invisibility Cloak; maybe she sneaked onto the grounds to watch the second task. ..."

"And what did you say?" Ron repeated, pounding his fork down so hard that it made his plate clatter, and drop half of the meal back on the desk. Even the Ravenclaws that were pretending not to listen were listening now.

"It was before we had known that Harry would return successfully – I -" Hermione was suddenly panicking. "But how did she overhear us?"

"She couldn't have been there when I finished the task?" Harry asked, taking some of the attention to himself, hoping that Ron would stop staring at Hermione like she had just betrayed him. "Do you think Dumbledore would know?"

"Maybe," Hermione caught the topic like the lifeline. "You know, he's Dumbledore - he knows everything that goes in the castle."

"Not everything," Cho piped in. "He didn't know about Moody being fake." She was holding Harry's hand as she said it. And, Harry remained in control.

"I wonder when she interviews the students," Luna piped in with her dreamy, careless voice. "I would love to practice interviewing."

"That's it!" Hermione turned to Luna and clapped her hands on the table, her food forgotten. "Luna, you're genius. We simply need to catch her during one of her interviews. She has to come to the castle to take them." Hermione leaned towards Harry and Cho, and added more silently. "You could use the map."

Harry had another way in mind - hadn't he already put her scent to memory? Maybe he could track her trail and find out where and when Skeeter had been on the grounds.

"I'll check after potions."

"And when we find her," Cho added cheerfully. "She'll be in loads of trouble - Dumbledore already forbade her to enter the school grounds."

"Good." Harry grinned viciously, already planning where he was going to check first. "Perfect."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

In the evening, he went for a walk with Cho, just, as he said to her, to clear his mind. However pleasant their walk by the lakeside was, Harry didn't forget to sniff around a bit.

He did find a faint trace or two, left somewhere around the second task. Skeeter must have been there when the Second task was already underway, but she was gone after he had finished the task – else, he would have scented her before. Of course, he mused, the smells must have been confusing with such a big crowd, and he could have simply missed her. Would she return soon?

Harry sighed, and turned to someone he could enjoy spending time with, forgetting Skeeter for a while. Holding Cho's hand, he grinned, and receiving a smile in return, he leaned to plant a small kiss on her cheek.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Skeeter didn't show up on the map that day, nor the next few. Maybe, Harry thought, she wouldn't return for quite a while?

However, he took it to himself to walk outside the castle every evening, checking if she had been somewhere near the grounds. He also made a point to occasionally walk past the corridors near the secret entrances, in hopes of catching a whiff or two.

He even asked Remus for a way to take interviews from students during their usual weekend training. Remus reply had disappointed Harry a bit, as it turned out there were quite a few ways to do so. One of these was actually used by Remus in school, the magical mirrors that could communicate with each other.

They were not very common, so that might not be the case - Rita had visited the castle during the second task. Unless it was to give such a mirror to someone.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

One evening, he had already turned away after finishing his routine evening stroll, when the sudden surge of wind hit his nose with Skeeter's scent. It was weak, somewhat wrapped feel of her, but it must have been. Harry held himself from growling.

He looked around, and pulled on the Cloak he had taken off but a minute ago. Then, as a predator on a hunt, he stalked towards the scent he had felt. How was she doing this - it didn't seem like he got any closer, as he couldn't hear any sounds that could have been caused by a human. Maybe a silencing spell was at work together with some kind of Cloak?

Then, he saw an ugly, oversized beetle, zooming towards the castle. He stepped out of the way letting it pass, and resumed his search. He was furious to realise that she must have slipped past him, as the scent was coming from the direction of the beetle-

That's what it was. Harry gnashed his teeth angrily. Skeeter must have been an Animagus, and that was how she got into the castle - the same way Sirius had.

He started jogging in her general direction, wand in his hand, cloak hiding him as much as he managed. What spell would be better in the situation? A stray thought, one he tried to suppress, was for him to not use any spells at all, but simply squish the bug. Surely, she had deserved such.

If he was wrong, he would be squishing a simple bug, and if he was right... The wolf was making him grind his teeth loudly.

She had hurt him, time and time again. She had written all sorts of lies, tried out his patience, and now... Wasn't it a good time to finally have some payback? To finally show Skeeter that all she ever did, was to poke a wolf with a stick?

He caught up with the bug, his fingers white on their grip of the wand. What was the right thing? What was the just thing to do? What would Cho think if he outright murdered someone, even if it was someone as vile as Rita?

The bug must have been her - it had her scent all over the scent of an old bug. Harry was sure - he can't have mistaken the while stench once he had committed it to memory.

He should at least do something, Harry thought, before the beetle got away.

When it started flying up, Harry hit it with a Full Body-Bind Curse. Cast from behind the Cloak, the beetle didn't have any chance to resist or dodge. It fell on the ground, it's wings fluttering in the wind. No one was there. No one would see anything. He could pick her up and throw into the lake. He could simply squish the beetle. He could do a number of things; he wouldn't admit he thought of half of them, though.

He stood there for quite a while, both hesitant and determined to do something. He didn't know what, though.

Then, he suddenly clutched his teeth and snarled. "No," he muttered to himself. In a swift move he was standing just next to the fattest, ugliest beetle the world has ever seen, his boot raised inches above. His boot started moving down with a swift motion-

Then, he heard someone approaching. Judging from the scents it was Dumbledore, followed by someone else. Someone, who both reminded him of Barty Crouch, and at the same time couldn't have been him... They had been coming for some time now - he just didn't realize it, lost in his thoughts as he was. A vicious growl rose in his throat, barely contained within.

He moved his leg to the side and it slammed into the ground, missing the beetle by a hair. He dropped backwards, seating himself right next to the beetle with a loud thud, cold sweat running down his back. He almost...

"Harry," Dumbledore was already right next to him, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "I assume you have caught her?"

He saw – Harry knew – they both saw his last second hesitation and they both knew what he almost did.

The man next to the Headmaster was Alastor Moody, whose magical eye was darting from the hidden Harry Potter and the beetle on the ground.

"Hah!" Moody exclaimed floating the beetle up with his wand, not really fazed by the situation. "She's an unregistered Animagus!"

"Alastor," Dumbledore's voice had a warning tone. "Gently, now - we don't want anyone to get hurt."

Harry flinched because of the comment. Shifting the cloak to the side he took it off completely - even though both men could see him with the Cloak on, he felt it was really impolite of him.

"So," Dumbledore took a step towards the fat beetle, her antennae markings looking exactly like Rita's glasses. "What shall we do with you now?"

Dumbledore, his wand appearing in his hand with a swift motion, touched it with the tip of the wand, and the beetle shuddered, growing in size, twitching and then growing some more. In but a manner of seconds, the fat ugly beetle was replaced with slightly less fat Rita Skeeter. Harry slowly stood up to look at her.

Skeeter was visibly shaking – Dumbledore's silent spell had removed the Body-Bind as well. Her eyes were darting between Harry and Moody, as she probably couldn't decide which one scared her more.

"I have heard Azkaban is a good place to be this time of the year," Moody growled with his deep voice. "Foolish witch."

"You have no right..." She was pouring the words quickly, having completely lost any semblance of control. "Being unregistered is just a fine – you can't think anyone would even think about Azkaban! But he, he tried to kill me!"

"Did he now?" Moody gave her a vicious grin. "All I saw was a simple Body-Bind Curse."

"You're lying! You have no ground to hold me here!"

"In fact." Dumbledore coughed lightly. "Madam Skeeter, you'll find that there are quite a lot of things you have to answer for." His gaze found Harry for a moment, as if asking for him to remain calm. "As for the authority, you should know this as well as we do, for was it not the reason of your another illegal visit?"

Moody gave her a stare that started another round of shivers. "I have been reinstated into an active duty until the end of the Tournament and you wanted to know why. Spying at Hogwarts is, of course, easier than doing so inside the Auror Department. Am I right?"

Skeeter's face twitched under Moody's gaze.

"And believe me when I tell you, that I'm in a perfect mood to send a criminal to Azkaban."

"But... The Auror Department-"

"Has enough authority to enforce the law even in regular DMLE cases. You were correct to say that being an unregistered Animagus is an expensive fine, but using the unregistered Animagus form for spying, or breaking into a territory where you were explicitly not allowed to enter..." Moody was visibly enjoying the pale look on Skeeter's face. "Is grounds enough for at least a year in Azkaban, as the Chief Warlock of Wizengamot would gladly confirm."

"With the aggravating circumstances being the fact that you tried to interfere with the official business of the Auror Department," Dumbledore spoke up this time. "I can only regretfully inform you that there are some precedents where Wizengamot has ruled even harsher, and it might be hard to dissuade them from lengthening the sentence."

"But I can't go to Azkaban!" She almost screeched at them.

Harry started smiling. No, grinning like it was Christmas once more.

"You could always try to run away." Moody's eye spun around in a sporadic circle. "Maybe it will turn out that I'm truly _too old to catch any stray cats, let alone a dark wizard_."

Skeeter gulped. "I just wrote what the people told me."

"And I'm just offering you a chance to try it out in practice." He lowered his wand to the ground. "I have spent a few weeks in St. Mungo's; I'm not as fast as I used to be; maybe you have a good chance?"

"Now, Alastor," Dumbledore chimed in once more. "Let us adjourn to my office and discuss the future of Madam Skeeter there." He turned to Harry. "Mister Potter, I think you should return to the Gryffindor tower – we wouldn't like you staying on the grounds when it gets dark."

Rita, it seemed, had completely given up, as she didn't even look at Harry, but allowed herself to be directed under Moody's wand, her eyes full of fear and despair.

Harry all but skipped into the castle.

He couldn't wait to tell Hermione and Cho.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>The chapter had quite a few quotes form Rowling's Goblet of Fire and Rita Skeeter's articles in Daily Prophet.<p> 


	32. The Fangs

**Disclaimer**: Rowling was hunting Harry throughout the pages.

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXXII

The Fangs

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"You can't be leaving."

"I'm not going to go very far."

"Why did you even start thinking about it?"

Remus sighed. "There are too many of those, who would like to see me gone."

"Why would you care?" Harry crossed his arms. "Isn't it only important what your friends think?"

"There's been a lot of pressure on Dumbledore. You can't win if you never accept the setbacks. And he needs to have free hands now more than ever."

"But you're the best teacher we have ever had."

"And I have been teaching overdue. The board of governors only agreed to have me until there was better substitute found. Besides, Alastor Moody is very good with Defence."

"He's not you." Harry pouted. "How am I going to visit you every other day?"

"We'll still meet every weekend. And every full moon."

"But..."

"Harry," Remus laughed. "I know you're not a child anymore. You'll manage. But thanks for trying." His worn bag closed with a loud snap of the lock. "Write if you need something."

"You'll return on Saturday?" Harry asked once more.

"Yes. I promise."

"Good." Harry smiled. "And during the full moon, I'll show you that we don't need Wolfsbane."

Remus' eyes glittered for a short moment. "I know you will."

Two werewolves shook hands.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry was surprised to see a small crowd form up to see the Professor off at the gates. Ron was there, of course, as well as Hermione, the former still ecstatic about Rita facing charges. Cho and Marietta were there as well as Cedric and Rodger. The latter's arrival probably was Cho's handiwork. A handful of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were there too, mainly because of Davies and Diggory saying they would go. Some Gryffindors came because Harry was there. Ginny and Luna were standing with the twins, who actually looked really sad to see Remus leaving. Fred actually had a glowing name "Moony" spelled on a white tissue he and George took turns waving. Harry couldn't hold a snort.

It wasn't a formal event by any stretch of imagination, nor anyone was trying to take it too seriously, but Harry well understood, that it was the last time a werewolf had taught at Hogwarts. And Remus left, having earned the respect of his students, even though it was but a few handfuls of people.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

One night before a full moon would rise, after a hard day of classes, Harry was on edge. If, before, there was something he could believe in, it was in his ability to severe the connection somehow - maybe by finding the source with his wolf. However finding it, much less severing the link, wasn't going to be easy.

Even when his dreams were his hunting ground, and not a place he would fear, he fell into the habit of not wanting to sleep in the nights nearest to the full moon. His senses were sharp, and focused, but his thoughts were not. They were jumping from one thing to another, and not soon after going to bed, he found himself remembering Barty Crouch.

He was comparing Moody to the imposter, and finding a lot of similarities, thus speaking heaps about Barty's acting abilities. Only the eyes of the new Professor betrayed the true difference. Both the real and the magical one.

First, real Moody had a certain presence with him that his physical body hadn't brought out as much. The man was ready for a challenge everywhere; his every look was a measuring one, deciding whether anything could be used as a weapon, or posed any kind of threat. He probably was going to lengths to expect an attack from any angle. His eye was one of a predator, too – not only looking for a way he could have been attacked, but looking for opportunities himself.

As Barty tried to emulate, his magical eye spun in circles. However, the real deal, Harry noticed, never focused his magical eye on anything for longer than a second - it was constantly spinning, looking at all angles, in a surprisingly random pattern.

Harry was sure there had been a way to tell, a way to prevent every mistake that he and others had made in trusting a wrong man. How could there not have been a single misstep? How did they even manage to subdue Moody at all – the man was ready for everything.

That meant that Barty was a considerably more worthy opponent than Harry believed. It still wouldn't change his fate. Harry knew, the imposter was going to meet his end. And he was not a nosy annoying beetle, but a dark wizard he would relish to remove from this world. His wolf was eager for a rematch. For payback.

Harry slammed his fist into the pillow. Now, when he was looking for a difference, for a way to tell, he could find hundreds of tiny details, tens of differences. There were others, chatty students who believed that they saw some distinct personality differences between the two men, but why didn't they notice it before? How could anyone could have known?

Dumbledore. Harry turned to cover his face with the pillow, muffling a silent rumble. Headmaster was busy – he can't have been in every place, known everything that was happening. Why did he still felt betrayed, then?

Why? Why? Harry bit into the soft pillow, remembering the distant taste of human flesh on his fangs. Why did Dumbledore have to have Moody back? It was a living reminder of his failure to save Sirius. Of his failure to notice the bloody difference between two men.

And now, instead of lessons with Remus, where he could always hope to catch a friendly breath, to glimpse a silent smile, were replace with colder, stricter drills about defence. No one was really waiting for the lessons, as Moody took it to himself to improve the curriculum however he deemed fit, but people still liked them. They chatted away at mealtimes that they had been better than Remus' and Harry heard the unsaid truth between the lines – Remus was a werewolf.

But the real truth was – Remus could do it better. A better teacher, if not more qualified.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"First," Harry was slowly explaining, "I'll try to jump on that table in the corner, and then down, and afterwards we will be able to rest."

Remus was sitting on the ground, his legs half crossed. "It would be good if you could manage it, but..."

"I know it's never going to be as good as Wolfsbane." Harry exhaled, his forehead running with sweat from nervousness and waiting. "But it's something I believe I can ask him to do."

"Do you think your wolf would listen if there was a human in the room?"

"I don't know."

"I always said that I would never let my wolf harm anyone that I cared for, anyone that was dear to me, and yet, when I changed in front of you, I couldn't stop myself from wanting to attack you, to tear you apart." Remus sighed. "I hope that you will never have to experience anything similar."

"But it shouldn't be this way!" Harry exclaimed. "If the wolf listens, there would still be a long way to go, but I believe that I could control it, and you should be able to, too."

Remus shook his head. "I don't know. I wouldn't risk stopping drinking Wolfsbane if I could influence the wolf as much as you think you can."

"I can." Harry clenched his fists. "I know that I can."

A shudder went thorough him like a tide of the flood, rushing from the fingertips to his heart, shaking his bones, making them snap in pain. He started a howl together with his wolf, allowing the wolf side of his soul free reign.

The pain was increasing, tearing his flesh away and hair rapidly growing everywhere. Harry continued howling - the howl helped him focus, at least.

The wolf rose up, higher and higher, taking dominance of the body. And Harry let him - if there had been any lingering effects of wolfsbane before, now they were long gone, and he felt as good as one could under tremendous pain. He was Harry, and the part of his soul that was a wolf was still, mostly, Harry. He was in control either way, whitchever side would be calling the shots.

The wolf shook his head, clearing the sight. Remus was before him, still unchanged. "You're changing early," Remus cautioned, his calmer voice reminding Harry that he should remind the wolf not to hurt his pack. Just in case.

Then, Harry tried not think about hurting Remus anymore - it wasn't going to happen. All he focused on now, was the desk he had pointed at earlier. A test of the possibility to control the wolf to some degree. He knew that it should have been possible, but he had regrets about the choice of the action. Of course, it might have sounded even stupider from an outside point of view, but it was something a wolf wouldn't choose to do by itself - the table looked unstable - a weak position to be in, and the wolf always wants to be as safe as possible.

Harry focused. He didn't use force, he just tried to ask, like he was talking to someone equal. It was surreal, because it seemed that all his request did so far, was only to amuse and surprise the wolf.

Remus' watched the black wolf walk up to the table and look at it curiously. He snickered silently - in his mind, he could almost see Harry's form crouched on the edge of the table with a huge bone in his hand, urging the little black puppy to jump on the desk.

In truth, there was no Harry, nor the wolf looked anything else but a killer on the loose. The wolf crouched.

Remus clenched his teeth "You can do it, Harry," he muttered to himself through the teeth.

But Harry couldn't. The wolf saw no reason to jump onto the table. Harry didn't really need to be on the table either, it was but a fake try to showcase the control. And the wolf was in control, not Harry.

Even as he felt the wolf agree that he would listen if something important arose, he wouldn't participate in any experiments and silly suggestions would be completely ignored.

Harry understood as much and gave up. He just couldn't seem to convince himself that the test was important in any way - yes, it would have been a step forward, and a proof that it was possible. But, if he really wanted to forge a bond of trust between the different aspects of his soul, he had to trust the wolf. The wolf especially had been insistent on this.

The wolf turned back to Remus, the eyes full regret and defeat, yet, Remus could almost swear he was looking directly into Harry's eyes - the mind hiding deep in the eyes shone through with a a green glimmer of intelligence.

Then, Remus twitched. His own change was less painful than Harry's had been, but as much unexpected. He neither howled nor shouted himself, even though Harry offered a howl which seemed to try and lend some strength. After a few moments he was panting heavily, and slumped on the ground right before Harry, placed his head on the outstretched paws and, after seeing that the black wolf was getting himself comfortable too, dozed off rather quickly.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Two wolves slept next to each other. It might have looked peaceful on the outside, but on the inside, Harry was hunting once more.

_In the forest he now knew better and better, there always were places he hadn't checked. He was running through the silent forest, in the shadows of highest trees, when he suddenly noticed the scent of darkness getting stronger once more._

_Voldemort._

_The thought was as dark as the scent he found. Harry didn't know if the trail was left there on purpose, or if Voldemort even could leave a false trail, but he still darted in that direction. He was silent, running and jumping as fast as he could, without thinking. He had found a target, a hint of the hunt's purpose in the air._

_In a darkest, deepest part of the forest, under hundreds of low branches that scratched and tore into him even when he tried to evade them, he found it. A dark thread, hanging in the air, just at the height of him, making his hair stand all over his body._

_The scent was retching, it reminded him of vomit and blood, dirt and poison. It was everywhere, hung in the air like a wet curtain, getting into his fur, clogging his nose, making him angry and crazy._

_The tread hung in the air, as if woven by a huge spider between two invisible pillars – it seemingly started and ended mid air, like a torn line in a dream, darkness clawing its way into the forest._

_Without much thinking, he snapped his jaws around it and bit with all his force. Tore into it with his fangs, with the anger and righteousness._

_It was alike trying to chew up a pair of old boots – hard to bit through, and horribly tasting. The backlash was fast and unmerciful - there was a spike of pain in his scar, that still existed even in his wolf form – just hidden under the fur. It was like the darkness started pouring inside his head, and his headache had increased even more – but compared to the pain of the change it was nothing. _

_The line started fading away, an echo of an angered scream ringing in his ears. _

_He bit down harder - some invisible force pulled him to the side, dragging him after the bite._

_Harry tore the darkness to the side with all the strength he could muster._

He slammed into the nearest wall with a loud crash, sending a few chairs flying. Moony shook his head, suddenly awake; jumped up and looked around, ready to help with whatever he could.

Harry was still not sure what was happening – he was still feeling like he had bitten into the thread and it was slipping away – he jumped forward, tearing, biting and snarling at the darkness.

Remus jumped to the side as Harry tore a chair to little pieces, his teeth rending wood easier then a cutting charm. Luckily, Harry didn't act on the movement, and continued his assault of the classroom furniture.

With his scar burning, and the darkness receding, he could still almost hear the dark lord cursing his name time and time again. He started tearing at his own face with his paws, sharp claws marking deep traces on the face. He was bleeding from the scar. It might have been a wound he inflicted himself, or something that happened because of his actions in the dream – he wasn't sure.

But he had found a link, and he knew that it hurt Voldemort a lot more than it hurt him.

Still tearing at himself, he felt himself shifting back, for morning had already come.

His bones snapped with a loud crack, his spine bent and straightened, his arms shook under incredible pressure, and he was human once more. His face was a mess. Blood was getting into his eyes, drops slowly splattering on the ground. He had left a few marks of blood as a wolf, but now, it still was running.

He had injured both Remus and Sirius and had even injured himself once under the effect of the phoenix song, but during a full moon werewolves healed rather fast and all he was left with were small scars on his body. Usually magic could deal with scars rather quickly, but as with his famous one, and with ones inflicted by werewolf fangs or claws it wasn't so easy.

Remus cursed, and quickly poured a vile tasting potion down Harry's throat. Then, he snatched up his wand from the same shelf as another vial, and started applying the contents on Harry's scratches.

It burned, but Harry just closed his eyes and let Remus work. There was a silent incantation – "Expecto Patronum" and a light flash of light that Harry could see even with his eyes closed. Harry didn't listen too much, but he heard Remus whispering something about a heavy face injury, and then, the light was gone.

His scar, what was somewhat surprising, stopped hurting when he changed back. It, once more, felt rather distant – he knew the connection was still there, but Voldemort was doing something to restrict the access. Even though Harry knew that the dark lord was as angry as was humanly possible, he also could feel some invisible barriers being erected, the foreign presence disappearing from his mind, becoming unnoticeable once more.

After a few long minutes of Remus muttering some reassuring words, another scent joined them in the classroom – Pomfrey looked concerned, but moved to work on his scratches.

"It's going to leave a few scars," Pomfrey announced. "But it's not as serious as Remus told me."

Harry groaned lightly, opening his eyes. Remus, seeing the look, conjured a small mirror.

There were three light scratches running across the scar and up to his left eye. They looked faint enough to not be very noticeable. A much more serious dash ran on his right cheek and it still looked rather unhealed – the skin was significantly redder and felt strange.

Harry ran his fingers through the line. "At least it's not another lightning." His voice felt heavy, his mind was rushing for an answer that he could give to explain the unfading marks on his face.

"They will fade with time, a bit," Pomfrey explained. "Some marks will remain, but it will be a lot weaker than today. You'll have to come to the hospital wing a few times this month if you want it less noticable."

Remus scratched his head. "You probably cut yourself when training for the tournament. Maybe something with shielding from an array of spells? Moody could have agreed to give you a lesson – I can think of a few barely legal curses that could leave a cut if your shield charm was not perfect."

Harry sat on the nearest table. "It's as good of an excuse as any."

"Good," Remus' eyes betrayed his disappointment. "We'll have to go and tell Dumbledore; and- Ah, he is already on the way."

And it was true – the scent of the Headmaster was already approaching – Pomfrey had, most probably, informed him where she was going.

Harry sighed. "I don't think we'll be able to keep lying forever."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry spent half of the morning relaying the events of the dream-vision to Dumbledore.

He had spent an even bigger part of his Sunday training with Moody instead of Remus, only after taking a quick breakfast with some glamours set up to hide the new scars. Dumbledore was confident that no one would see through them if it was for a short time. Cho, however, seemed to feel that something was wrong, and threaded carefully, speaking calmer, and had been trying to get him relax throughout all the breakfast. Unsuccessfully.

Alastor, true to the story Dumbledore approved, drilled Harry until he could barely stand – as it was a day just after the full moon that was not too difficult to achieve, though. He did earn a few more bumps and cuts, all of these, as Moody claimed, done with the curses that _should not have introduced any permanent damage_. Harry knew that he liked lessons with Remus more.

Afterwards, Harry ended up in the Hospital wing, where he went together with Moody – the sight was seen by a few students, yet none were close enough to really see what or even if there were any injuries – between Moody's magical eye and Harry's sense of scents there was no way that they would choose a route leading past more than a couple of students.

Then, it was just a play for anyone who would listen. Pomfrey even included a short shouting match with Alastor, but Harry suspected that one wasn't just for show – Pomfrey was furious about Moody's idea of making some new injuries to cover up the old ones. When Moody started claiming that the new cut that she had just healed was safe _cause he knew it wouldn't hit the eye_ she threw him out and slammed the Hospital Wing doors shut behind him. Harry, luckily for him, was discharged rather quickly.

That was enough to start a whole new bout of rumors about him.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He was spending the evening on the school grounds, flying with Cho. She really liked her new broom, even though they found out that it was a blink slower than Harry's at accelerating, she still had been elated. Afterwards, they were hanging high above the caste, hovering right next to each other.

Cho traced her fingers on one his new scars. He had told her the story with a cutting curse, and felt incredibly foolish doing so – there was a strange look on her face as he told her it.

"I hope you don't find it too ugly," He muttered then.

She winked at him. "If you couldn't tell before, I like men with scars."

He almost guffawed at that, but then, suddenly, his face became serious. "Cho?"

"Yes?" she answered, somewhat absentmindedly, but then noticed the way he was looking at her and closed her mouth. She steadied the broom against the light wind, never removing her hand from his face.

"I have to tell you." He took her hand, moving it gently away from his scars and squeezed it lightly. The full moon was shining weakly in the evening sun, high above them and the castle.

She opened her mouth, and he knew, it was to reassure that he could hold onto his secrets as long as he needed... But he couldn't let her.

"No, you need to know." He released her hand to place a finger on her lips. The wind was dancing in her hair, the scent of cinnamon swirling around him. He inhaled deeply, taking as much of her scent as he could, for he was afraid of what could happen when he told her.

She looked at him, really looked at him then, taking in the tired pose, the little scars on his face – ones from what could have been some creature's nails - in perfecty even distances from each other. She looked at his white teeth, glittering in sunlight, his fangs looking just a tad bit larger than normal. She looked into his eyes, green and deep with a reflection of the moon in them. She looked at that full moon, at the pain that was shining though, at something primal that was forever lurking in the shadow of the moon. Cho nodded then, and took a deep breath herself.

"I'm a werewolf." He said, his words ringing in the winds of the spring, his voice determined, yet afraid; his heart beating as fast as never before.

At that very moment, Cho felt her heart skip a beat.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>Well, see you in two weeks.<p> 


	33. The Feathers

**Disclaimer**: Cho is just someone Rowling made up, like many, many others.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXXIII

The Feathers

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry Potter was a strange wizard. He had been one of the most famous people, if the most famous one, yet he chose to be friends with a rather unexciting people. Well, you could not say that his friends were unimpressive, nor that they were dull, but one would expect something, well, truly unique from Harry Potter's choice of acquaintances.

Cho herself, she never felt that special – yes, she was the only girl on the Quidditch team, a fact many of the Ravenclaws would bring up every once in a while. There hadn't been a shortage of attention, but when she saw that Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived had noticed her...

She was a girl – she easily caught some of the looks he gave her sometimes, when he believed that she wasn't looking. But he was a boy, and it was hard to tell, whether he simply liked her looks, or did he really thought about something else.

She, like every other girl in the castle, of course, found Harry quite handsome, even though not probably the best looking one. When she saw him, seemingly a thousand years ago, in the Quidditch world cup, she found out that she was wrong. He wasn't simply handsome – Harry was growing with leaps and bounds, and she found that he was almost as handsome as one could wish for. If she liked how he looked before, now she was stealing glances of him whenever there was a chance. Of course, Marietta had claimed that it had been her infatuation was judging instead of her rational mind, but even with a biased view, it couldn't have been far from the mark.

It still was a miracle to her, that Harry Potter himself... She knew that he didn't like the fame. She saw it when he became a Hogwarts Champion, he had told her it himself. But he was famous, and he had chosen her out of all the witches in Hogwarts.

However, even spending a lot of time with him, she always saw him as somewhat of an enigma. He had secrets, sometimes spoke in half-truths, and was afraid of what she might think about him. And she just couldn't put her finger on it. What was the secret that Harry Potter couldn't tell him, yet told both of his friends?

He natural response had been jealousy, but then she realized that it probably was fair – she had known him only for some time, and the three Gryffindors had went through fire together, had something stronger than the bonds of usual friendship. So, he forgave him, even before he realised that she had been jealous.

There was an occasional pang of jealousy that she couldn't control, a stray glance at Hermione or Ron speaking with Harry about something she didn't know. But then, one day, he tried to tell her. It was just after his godfather died. Just after a long kept secret shattered painfully for him. And he was trying to tell her something else, something that must have been every bit as important and dangerous as the true story of one Sirius Black.

He had been afraid of her reaction, and she had gotten scared. It must have been some vital secret of his, something that she couldn't tell anyone, and the weight of that secret would have been heavy both on him and her. So she chose to be weak, she let him keep it. Cho knew that before telling her, he should deal with his problems, to be ready. That he could keep his mind focused and return to a Harry Potter she loved. She knew that she could use the chance to ready herself, too.

Then, there was one Remus Lupin. A werewolf.

She hadn't ever met anyone that was a werewolf before. She had heard horrible stories, though, from her mother and, later, at Hogwarts, from Marietta. But every story was about a predator, a monster, a creature of darkness. And from a year of lessons under Professor Lupin, she wasn't as convinced as before – were was the monstrous savage? All she had seen was a tired man, one no one let live in peace.

When Professor Lupin returned to teach for another month or two, she had been slightly afraid, but went to read up on werewolves. Whatever she had found hadn't diminished her doubts, yet told her a tale of persecution and fear. Maybe, even, persecution born of pure fear.

Then, one day, as she looked at the astrology homework, and glanced at the moon phases, she came to a sudden realization. But it could not have been true. It could not...

That could not have been true.

But then, high up in the air, he tried to tell her again.

And it was the truth.

Cho felt her heart skip a beat. Tears appeared in her eyes and she grabbed his arm as strong as she could, bringing him closer to her, engulfing him in a fierce hug, dragging him as close to her as she could. Their brooms swayed in the wind, but it was nothing two Firebolts would not handle.

"I know," she whispered. "I know," she repeated over and over, her tears falling onto his warm back. "I know."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry was expecting many things. Shouts of disbelief, Cho suddenly swooping down to never return, her telling his secret to everyone – all these were scenarios that he played in his mind, fearful. At best, he hoped, he hoped all the time, she would give him a long, hard stare, one that would pierce him up to his heart. Then, she would probably cry and blame him for not telling her sooner, but in the end, he dared to believe, things would stay somewhat the same, and she would let him be around her. Maybe, if he was really lucky, there would be a chance to rebuild what they had now.

He certainly didn't expect what he got.

"I'm sorry," he managed, held tightly in her hands high up in the air. "I was afraid to lose you, I didn't want you to leave me."

She nuzzled her wet cheek into his. "I won't leave you."

"Thank you."

He held her close for a long while, the moon shining high above them. When she moved to release him, he grinned, and spun them around in a mad spin, one that only the Firebolt would manage. "Thank you!" He shouted through the wind.

She laughed between her still running tears, and remained close to him, touching during all that madness. If a teacher had seen them that night, they would have thought Cho and Harry were trying to kill themselves.

Their whole evening was spent flying, enjoying each other's presence and feeling the enlightening wings of truth.

Truth was a great thing.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Cho?" He turned at her, grabbing her in a short hug she gladly returned.

"Look what I found," she pushed the newest Daily Prophet into his hands as she broke free of his hold.

"Should I be afraid?" He asked, carefully looking at the newspaper as if it could explode any second.

"No – just here – look." She sounded excited, and Harry couldn't help but smile in agreement himself.

"_Innocent man held twelve years in Azkaban_," Cho started reading, quietly, her voice almost lost in the buzz of lunch. "_A mistake or a deliberate crime? Wizengamot is stirring up a case that never got a trial, to right the wrongs of what happened at the wake of You-Know-Who's defeat."_

Harry heard her perfectly, his eyes following her progress on the article, his heart beating in tune with hers.

"_Sirius Black, the last male heir of the ancient Black family, had been shoved under the rug by Bartemius Crouch without even getting a chance to prove his innocence. Now, with his death, a disturbing net of lies and misinformation has been revealed. Bartemius Crouch, recently released from the intense care of St. Mungos, denies having had any other motives than his fight for justice and eradication of the dark wizards. However, in an official statement issued yesterday evening, during the preliminary case study in the Wizengamot, the wizard confirms the disturbing mistake he made fourteen years ago._

"_The newly reinstated Auror Alastor Moody, currently teaching in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a substitute Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, had told the Wizengamot of his duel with Peter Pettigrew, a man he believes to be responsible for framing Sirius Black, and the one who cast the Imperius curse on Bartemius Crouch, Sr. This witness account further confirms the huge lie that the imprisonment of Sirius Black had become._

"_Albus Dumbledore, the Chief Warlock of Wizengamot, has promised to see that all questions would be answered, and justice would triumph._"

Harry took a glance at the Professors' table – it was true that Dumbledore had been absent for a couple of days – and when he was there, he reeked of some dungeon, and always looked tired and strained. This time, he was missing as well.

"There's a Wizengamot meeting today." Cho saw his gaze. "Here – it's written that they're supposed to be having a final vote."

"He promised it to Remus," Harry said. "Do you think it's worth the trouble? All they can do is prove that Sirius was innocent. That won't bring him back." He probably sounded a lot more unsure than he was – it was just that his fears were easy to voice.

"But it's the truth – they will recognise that Pettigrew is alive, they will admit that they were the ones in the wrong. Sirius will be remembered as a hero instead of a dark wizard. You can't say that it's nothing." Cho placed folded the Daily Prophet in two. "They say that every time Wizengamot admits to having done something wrong, it's a miracle, but with the kind of proof Dumbledore had presented them, it's going to be hard to refute him.

"You can't say it isn't progress." She winked at him. "There have been rumours about Dumbledore preparing for loosening the restrictions on, well, dark creatures, and if he has this victory behind him, it's going the influence the general opinion in the Ministry. His word is going to carry more weight."

"I know that," Harry muttered. "Just – it's both something I'd like to see and something, I think, Sirius wouldn't really have cared about. It's good that the headmaster keeps his promise. I hope he can tell Moony the good news."

"How is Professor Lupin?" She asked then. "Did he find a new job by now?"

"No." Harry shook his head. "I asked him if I could pay for the lessons, but he said that it would be too much trouble to write down a contract, especially since the lessons are unofficial. And no, he doesn't want to take my money without a reason."

"I hope he finds something soon."

"Yeah." He nodded, and turned back to his lunch. "I'm sorry for being such a Ron-"

Ron sent Harry an amused mock glare from two seats away and continued chewing with his mouth full.

"But the meal smells so good..." He cut himself a few bite sized bits of the meatloaf as Cho giggled, trowing them in his mouth with a gusto.

"Better than I do?" She whispered into his ear.

Harry almost choked. It took him a few seconds to finally swallow the meat and mutter a response back. "Nothing smells better than you."

It was her turn to splutter. "Thank you, I guess," she managed in another whisper as she caught her breath. "What do I smell like?"

He glanced to see that no one was really listening, and mumbled a reply, even more quietly than she had spoken. "Cinnamon."

Cho either did not hear him, or though she understood wrong. "You'll have to repeat that."

Harry leaned towards her hair and took a deep breath, getting a full taste of the surrounding scent. "Cinnamon, you smell like cinnamon. Like the wind, a flight on a broom, like something sweet and calm, like a summer day after rain. A brand new feather quill, a swan in the lake, and everything, absolutely everything is surrounded by cinnamon."

She stared at him, opened eyed, mouthing 'Cinnamon', but did not make a single sound.

"I..." Harry stuttered, "I'm sorry, it must have sounded too weird."

"No, it wasn't weird." She leaned closer to him to place a short kiss on the corner of his lips. "Thank you. It's something I never expected to hear."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

When Remus arrived on the next Sunday, he was greeted with two cheerful students instead of one he had expected.

"I hope I'm not intruding," Cho began carefully after Harry greeted Moony. "But Harry said you probably wouldn't mind."

"No, Miss Chang, I won't. You wished to join the training today?"

"No," she nudged the somewhat reluctant, yet smiling Harry forward. "We figured you'd like to see this."

Harry practically shoved a folded newspaper in Lupin's hands; with Cho standing right next to him, smiling brightly to the werewolf.

Remus mumbled something about not really having time to read any news, but froze as he noticed what was on the page – the official posthumous pardon of the Ministry for one Sirius Orion Black. He slumped on the nearest stool of the classroom they usually trained in, and continued on reading.

Every word had hurt him. Every line was a blessing. He read through the whole page as quickly as possible, then again, and again.

Finally, finished with his third reread, he lifted his eyes to look at his friend's child. Looking just like James. He glanced at Cho, who looked nothing like the Lily Potter he remembered. How much had the times changed, he mused to himself.

And, the paper slid from his tired hands; he did not bother to catch it at all.

Harry sat down right next to him. "Dumbledore did it."

"Yes." Remus was breathing heavily. "I didn't even know he was already fighting for it. I'll have to thank him." He sighed, and leaned back, placing his back at the wall. "It's very good news, ones I didn't even dare to hope for anymore, but I'm not sure I'll be of much use for our training today."

"We have brought some Butterbeer and a few snacks from the elves." Cho spoke up. "I think we could give Harry one day free of training."

Remus looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. "Where did you get the Butterbeer? I wasn't aware you had a Hogsmeade weekend scheduled?" His words were light, not an accusation by any stretch of imagination. Quite the opposite, he sounded intrigued.

"We, er, used some help from the Marauders," Cho replied with a smile, trying to cheer the man up even more. "I hope you don't mind."

Remus laughed. It was a good laugh – he felt like some years had rolled off his back. For a second, it even seemed that his grey hair weren't as grey as before, that his whole statue had straightened. "Prongs, he would have been ecstatic that the map was used for a good cause – escorting a lady out of the school grounds in the middle of the night."

"It wasn't a middle of the night," Harry protested weakly. "Just late."

"The company is very important," Remus grinned, "What did Rosmerta say?"

Cho chuckled. "She didn't ask any questions, but gave us a discount because Harry _looked very dashing in the night_."

Harry looked somewhat uncomfortable. "Let's just drink some Butterbeer."

"He almost tripped when she said it," Cho whispered conspiratorially to Remus, trying to make the man laugh. "He still can't take a compliment."

Remus howled with laughter then, tears of merriment falling from his eyes. "Now I know," he managed between the laughs. "-why he likes you so much."

Harry just rolled his eyes, and fumed on his side of the stool until Cho leaned down and touched her nose to his, teasing him with her close breaths. "Come on, the puppy eyes don't fit you."

He playfully bit at her nose-tip, making her recoil a little in surprise, and started laughing himself.

"There's my wolf," she turned around, sat on his lap, and started rummaging their small basket from the house elves, where the Butterbeers from Rosmerta were stashed together with the sweet treats from the kitchens.

Remus suddenly stopped laughing. "Wait. She knows?"

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The next full moon fell on Friday, and Harry was happy that he had to make no excuses for Cho. She even agreed to go and study in a back corner of the library, preparing for her O.W.L's, but telling anyone who cared that he had been with him. Harry didn't think that there was a real need to enforce the deception, as the Hogwarts rumour mill usually filled whatever gaps there were with some very uneducated guesses anyways.

Cho had shrugged and told him that her staying to study away until late evening wouldn't be something that unusual for her, and the library did work a couple hours longer on Friday nights, and it was the end of the discussion.

Remus, however, had agreed that an extra alibi had never hurt anyone, lest they were too complicated.

Contrary to whatever expectations Harry had, there was nothing unusual about the full moon, except that Dumbledore had arrived in the morning to cast a few diagnosis spells, and talked a bit about the hunting dreams Harry had.

Since it was the first time Remus saw Dumbledore after a long while, the old Headmaster was overwhelmed by the gratefulness of the former Professor, and tried to dismiss his contribution as inconsequential, citing Alastor Moody as the most important witness.

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/VVVV\

Time flew fast for Harry – he did some training by himself, some with Ron and Hermione, some with Cho, although those were usually not as serious in nature, and each Sunday brought very intense workouts with Remus.

With all the training and school assignments he did, coupled with Cho's desperate repetition sessions for the O.W.L.'s there wasn't much time to meet up as much as he liked. Except for the meals - they still ate together - each with their own books, for Cho wouldn't be convinced to leave her's alone for too long, and Harry had to adapt. Quidditch training and simple flying, of course, took a backseat for a while.

Then, one day, not even a full week before the start of June and O.W.L's, Harry, together with the other champions, was called to the Quidditch stadium.

The Quidditch field was no longer smooth and flat. It looked as though somebody had been building long, low walls all over it that twisted and crisscrossed in every direction. And they didn't scent anything like an ordinary hedge. It felt as if the hedge was alive – ready to move on someone's order, to change the layout in a minute's notice.

Harry frowned, but continued on. Cedric was walking just next to him, horrified with the scarring of the field. The hedge didn't react to their approach even when they had to climb over a few green walls.

Krum looked friendly, and Fleur somewhat indifferent. Ludo Bagman, however, was elated and cheerful as always, launching in an explanation about what was going to happen during the task.

"There will be obstacles," said Bagman happily, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Hagrid is providing a number of creatures...then there will be spells that must be broken...all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the champions who are leading on points will get a head start into the maze." Bagman grinned at Harry and Cedric. "First Mr. Diggory, followed by Mr. Potter, then Mr. Krum will enter...then Miss Delacour. But you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?

"The important thing to note is that we're moving the date of the last task a little sooner – it's going to fall on the Saturday evening, at the twelfth of June. The hedge won't be nearly as high as it should, but it's something we're just going to have to accept."

"What?" Harry gasped, frantically trying to remember – no, the full moon was on the thirteenth, he was somewhat safe, but it still was a strange decision. "Why?"

"I'm not really sure myself," Bagman shrugged. "Just something Madam Bones was insistent about – we did find that changing the date wouldn't interfere with the contract, and thus it was decided."

The champions had a questioning look on them, but nodded slowly.

"That leaves you all with a bit more than two weeks to prepare yourselves. Be brave, be vigilant, and you'll succeed."

Harry knew had to speak with Dumbledore fast – something was definitely wrong here.

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><p>The chapter had a quote or two from Rowling's Goblet of Fire. The third task is approaching faster than expected. Might not end up how one would expect it to, too.<p>

By the way, there's yet another fic I'm involved in, that's written together with Morta's Priest, a Batman and Death Note crossover. You can hop to check it out sometime. "Destroyer of Worlds" - story ID - 8665231, or simply via the link in my profile.


	34. The Portkey

**Disclaimer**: Even though I tried to write faster, I still failed and don't own Harry Potter.

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXXIV

The Portkey

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/VVVV\

It proved difficult to find Dumbledore – the Headmaster was busy, and all anyone could knew was that Albus Dumbledore was spending all his time at the Ministry without exception.

Through all that time, Harry had gotten himself as agitated as possible. Saturday night, when the tournament was supposed to end, fell hours before the full moon reached its peak in the given month. And werewolves only once changed every month, on the first night just after the full moon's peak.

He was safe, at least in that regard, according to every book in the Hogwarts library, on that particular subject, he, Hermione and Cho could find – but Harry still had been nervous. Every once in a while he would walk past the entrance of the Headmaster's office, looking for the traces of the man.

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Every other moment that Harry could spare, was spent training – he had been pouring tomes of Defence books into his mind, trying to learn every hex and counter-curse that would be mildly useful. When other students had exams, he trained. When others rested – he trained.

That one day, he just sat in an empty classroom, the one they otherwise used for the full moons, his mind hurting from exhaustion. Harry probably wasn't sleeping enough and the constant stress on his mind, even with the help of his friends, had proven an excruciating experience.

There were a couple of books scattered on a nearby table, a pile of used parchment with small notes, and there was a scorch mark on the wall he wasn't yet sure how to remove. His own sweat and the smell of burnt rubber filled the classroom – a spell had gone awry more than once – it was making his nose twitch in protest.

The door opened to reveal Albus Dumbledore.

"Harry." Dumbledore took out his wand and after a few quick waves the air spun around with a light, fresh summer wind, making Harry smile due to the pleasant scent. "I believe we have a talk long overdue."

Harry took a deep breath, stood up, his pose unsteady, but looking very attentive. "Sir, does that mean that there **is** something going on with the change of the date?"

"Precisely." Dumbledore nodded. "It was, in fact, a thing I hoped to change – the Third Task, falling onto the Midsummer, was too much of a significant date magically – it might have been an additional boon to whatever Voldemort was planning. I had spent hours with Amelia Bones and a few other ministry workers, trying to push the Task a few days back.

"However, when we had reached an agreement, they switched the date even further back just before announcing it. It was now to be sooner than I had planned, placing it during the weekend of the full moon. Now – every full moon night is also magically significant, albeit a lot less so than the Midsummer, and I believe it must have been the work of Voldemort's influence in the ministry, however indirect. My sources point at a possibility that Lucius Malfoy had a hand it this decision. Alas, there simply isn't enough proof to accuse him of anything.

"I have spent a few more days trying to move it again, going even as far as to explain what an inconvenience to Voldemort's plans it would be to Amelia Bones. Sadly, she had been insistent that it was already officially announced and changing it twice would be improper."

"Am I in danger, then?" Harry asked. "He's going to make a move?"

"He might." Dumbledore sighed. "But you should not be – that is to say - directly in trouble. I've rechecked the date, verified the astronomical calculations, and you're not in danger of transforming." He took out a small iron chain necklace out his robes, giving it to Harry.

Harry took it, and on the nod of Dumbledore, put it over his head. The tiny chain was barely visible, it seemingly glued itself to the place, becoming the same colour as his skin in a manner of seconds.

"I've made this ring into a Portkey. As it was made by the Headmaster – it can enter or leave the grounds of Hogwarts, unlike any others. Do not let anyone know that it is significant in any sort of way - and you must be careful not to let anyone cast anything upon it. There have been instances where the destination of a Portkey has gotten changed by a clever bit of magic."

Harry found that he could move the necklace a little, even though it rested to attempts to do so. When he wasn't touching it at all, he didn't fell that he had been wearing it at all. "Where is it going to bring me?" Harry asked curiously, then.

"Here." Dumbledore waved his hand around. "Precisely in this classroom. I'm going to ward it once more, to increase its security yet again."

"What do I need to do to activate it?"

"It can be activated three ways - by trying to tear it off - mind that it has to be you to try it, as others might find it too slippery to grasp properly." Dumbledore winked. "This way also has in mind the happening on the highly unlikely event of your untimely change into a wolf. Next, it could be activated by a word 'homesick'. I believe, since your relatives are not as loving of you as they should be, it wouldn't be something that would crop up in this week's conversations."

"What if someone else says 'homesick'?" Harry asked, and his eyes widened in surprise - the necklace twitched very lightly, once. He didn't feel any sort of movement himself, though. "What did just happen?"

"As you saw - it reacts to your voice only - I can say 'homesick' however much I like even though I don't believe I'm currently am. However, when you say it, the spell is ingenious enough, if you'll allow me a bit of pride saying it, as it checks if you truly desire to be elsewhere. If you do, it activates. Otherwise, you could just say 'homesick' twice in a fast succession; it will override this failsafe and move you here that very moment. You can try it if you desire so," Albus offered. "It shouldn't be too disorienting - the distance in question is very short. I'd be best if I was at hand to renew the charms for another use – otherwise you're going to miss an opportunity for hands on test."

Harry thought about it for a second. "I'll take your word that it works – I don't like Portkeys very much. Also, sir, I believe that you mentioned a third way to activate it?"

"Ah, quite obviously it can be made to activate with a spell I can cast, as I'll be keeping eye on you during the Task." There was a short pause and Dumbledore continued. "I'd also like to talk about your training."

Harry's eyes glimmered with strange hope for a moment, but then it was gone. "You're not going to help me train, are you?"

"No." Dumbledore walked up to Harry and put a hand on his shoulder, speaking slowly and calmly, trying to highlight his good intention. "You're too tired. You are tiring yourself needlessly. Training is not something you can cram too much into a short period of time, and hope for improvement."

"But I am getting better with spells," Harry protested. "I know I am."

"Do you remember how long the lessons about the spell usually are? Before the teachers let you cast it for the first time? It is so for a few reasons. You cannot force yourself through studying and forced casting - already you have been spending every Sunday in high tension - this last week you are trying to burn yourself out. You may learn another spell or two, but you're starting to lose focus - the spells are coming out wrong. Even you, yourself are getting tired - that makes your movements sloppy, and if you are going to continue at this rate, by the time tournament arrives, you won't be able to move properly. Not to talk about the dangerous exhaustion of your mind. You need to rest."

"But - casting a spell doesn't fatigue me at all. And I get some sleep at night."

"It is because you don't feel it - you're tense and casting under stress is tiring - it requires your concentration to be top notch, and every spell puts a strain on your mind - a light one, but it accumulates. It's not a fatigue of your body, but one of your mind. Not something that matters in the course of the day, but something that can come into play after a week of overworking. Your training, from now on, should be sleeping and resting as much as possible. Talk with your friends, take a walk outside - don't lock yourself in an empty classroom anymore."

"But I'm still not good enough."

"Not good enough for what?" Dumbledore asked. "I would say that you have good chances at getting the Cup, as much as every other champion, even more than others – with your kind of determination, if that's what you are concerned about."

"What about Voldemort? What if he tries something?"

"Harry. You are right to worry about him, but wrong to think that your strength against him should lie in the power of your spells or your speed."

"You're saying that he's too strong for me to face?"

"Yes and no. You can't raise yourself up to Voldemort's level of power and hope to defeat him in a duel in just a few months. It is not a level attainable in a couple of years, even. But, unlike Voldemort, you still have a pure heart, and you know something that he hasn't ever known. You can l-"

"Love," Harry said his voice suddenly dripping with sarcasm. "I guess I'll just have to hug him to death."

Dumbledore let out a light laugh. "Harry, if you meet Voldemort – your best chance is to run away - don't fool yourself thinking that at any point you will be stronger than he is. At least, not for a few years."

Harry slumped back onto the chair. "I thought this training was making a difference."

"It is." Dumbledore moved next to him, and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "For the tournament and, that is very important that you understand it - as a stepping stone for further improvements. You can't become a great wizard by overworking yourself, but you can by hard work and determination. And Harry, remember this - it has been a long time since I saw someone with as much determination as you have. And you're the only one I know, who has such a pure heart beating in his chest. The only one."

"But I... I don't – I wanted to kill Skeeter and-"

"And you didn't – that's how much good there is in you – not to strike at your enemy when you can. To refuse the darkness in every aspect of your life."

"What about my friends? What about you, sir?" asked Harry. "You seem to be incorruptible."

"Your friends," Dumbledore's voice was heavy. "They haven't been offered a chance to take darkness. You have been fighting it since Voldemort offered you your parents – a wish he couldn't have granted, but one that must have been very tempting. I trust that they will do their best, and I know that everyone has light inside of them, but human nature is, regretfully, human nature.

"As for myself? I certainly had my share of determination in my youth." There was a painful look, locked deep in Dumbledore's eyes. "But I also had my share of darkness. Life is a complex affair, after all. And to lose the purity is to make but one small mistake. I have made mistakes that were colossal." Dumbledore looked like he dropped a hard stone on the floor, but many had still been hanging there, under his neck. "I have not been as light as you might believe me to be, but what is the capacity of good, in the end, if not an attempt to be better?"

Harry kept staring at the headmaster.

"Think about what I said. Take a break; spend time with your friends, remember - 'homesick', and, as this foolish old man wishes you to, don't ever change the way your heart beats."

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The day of the Third Task came a lot sooner than Harry had ever expected. He had taken Dumbledore's advice to heart, and did try to reduce the workload - he actually spent some time looking through Cho's notes and asking her questions about O.W.L. level charms and transfiguration to help her revise. In a certain way, she had been similar with Hermione - she knew almost everything in the books. However, unlike his bushy haired friend, Cho didn't learn everything by heart, but actually gave different explanations and always tried to find a different approach to the problem if she ever came up empty on the answer. It wasn't perfect, but as the last O.W.L.s came to an end, he was sure that she performed excellently.

That last day, the last calm before a storm, one he could feel coming with every fiber of his being, Harry had planned to spend with Cho. Her exams had just finished and she had been ecstatic with his promise spend time with her on the last day of the Tournament. They both were.

However, just before they had finished planning to set out to eat at the lakeside as a good way to begin a day, McGonagall intercepted them.

"Mr. Potter - I've been looking all over for you - today, the champion's families are arriving – the champions are congregating in the room off the Hall."

"But..." Harry looked surprised and disappointed. "What families," he muttered to himself. "Dursleys?" He turned to Cho. "I'm sorry that they are disrupting the date."

"It's not a problem." Cho smiled widely. "Could I join you?"

"If it's Dursleys - it can't be..." He saw her confused look and went on to explain his mumbling. "Dursleys, they're the family I spend my summers with. I don't suppose they could have travelled here - they hate everybody magical. I'm hoping it's Moony. You could join anyway - Remus likes you, and I can't really imagine anyone else who could come."

"Good." Cho grabbed his hand to hold, and practically dragged him to the meeting place.

There, they found family, clustered together, speaking in Bulgarian, they looked busy – probably haven't seen each other for a while and rushed to catch up. Krum had probably been telling them all about the tasks and his opposition, as Harry heard his name mentioned at least once. He believed he heard Krum's try to tell his parents Hermione's name too. That happened only once, throughout all the conversation. The international Seeker looked rather cheerful to see the pair and raised his hand in recognition – Cho and Harry waved back. There also were the Diggories, Amos quickly going on as to proclaim his son the sole leader of the Triwizard Tournament, even going as far as to taunt Harry a bit. However much Cedric tried to stop his father, he still managed to claim that Harry had been defeated before. The words were harsh, but Harry didn't think that the man had been angry – it was but a small a grudge. He simply believed that Harry had stolen some spotlight from Cedric. Well, that might have been true, but it wasn't Harry's fault, was it?

The whole exchange had been heard by Krum who found it hilarious for some reason, and the Bulgarian barely held a laughter, translating the gist of the conversation to his parents. An apologetic Cedric didn't help matters – in the end, Krum was laughing rather rudely, making remarks about Cedric's father having more pride than their temporary tournament leader. With that, Amos' attention was diverted from Harry rather effectively.

Fleur and her family were standing there too - including her little sister from the second task. Fleur herself was speaking in French, albeit looked rather distracted - her focus had been on a man with long red hair in a ponytail - Bill. She didn't give Harry much less than a passing glance and a polite smile. It was at least something – she couldn't recognise a fellow champion that was in the lead – the days of the 'little boy' had drowned in the lake.

And the final family – still without a champion to greet them – Harry saw the red hair and his face, already quite cheerful bloomed in a full blown grin. Then, he laughed as he recognised every single one of the Weasleys - Mrs. Weasley and Bill had come to see him. Even his wish that Remus would arrive had come true, as Professor Lupin, looking even shaggier than usually was standing there. The man kept some distance from the Weasleys and had dark edge in his movements. It was understandable, since the full moon was to be soon. Moony grinned at the sight of Harry together with Cho, a handful of years washing from his face, like they always did in the presence of Harry.

"Harry!" Bill was first to shake the champion's hand. "And you must be Cho," he nodded at the Ravenclaw. "I have heard about you two." He winked at them. "The press seems to like writing about you in favour to anything else, really."

Harry groaned. Cho was slightly staring at Bill - the Weasley always had good first impressions, as Molly took the time to swoop Harry into a hug. "Thought we'd come and watch you. Harry!" she announced twisting to kiss him on the cheek. And she quickly moved to both allow Remus closer, and to give them some space. Cho was staring at the whole familiarity with a warm smile – she felt that even though Harry was slightly ashamed, as other champions certainly wanted to see who had come to see the Harry Potter – it was a good thing. Weasleys and Remus would certainly help her in the task of relaxing Harry and his nerves before the Task.

"Moony." Harry shook Remus' hand with gusto as Mrs. Weasley traded a few pleasant words with Cho. "It's really nice of you," he spoke while looking at each of them in a row. "All of you, to come."

"I wasn't going to miss it for my life," Remus commented. "Dumbledore had to struggle a bit till he got me an, er, official pass to be in the stands, with the date being such, but I think it was well worth the trouble. And we have a whole day now."

Harry laughed. "Thank you."

"It's great being back here," remarked Bill, looking around the chamber, catching winks from the couple of portraits, and winking at Fleur himself – he had noticed her watching. "Fancy giving us a tour, Harry?"

"I'm not sure if I can **introduce** you," Harry grinned, having seen exactly where every other look of Bill's had been drawn to. "She probably hasn't exactly forgiven me for getting more points."

Cho pinched Harry, as Bill laughed merrily. Mrs. Weasley started to look around to see who they were talking about, her expression somewhat unreadable. Remus simply was reveling himself in the good mood of others.

"I meant a simple tour," Bill said. "I think I can manage everything else by myself."

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><p>The chapter I planned was actually two times bigger , as it's kind of an important place, but of course, it couldn't happen, as life quickly got the better of me, barely giving me enough time to finish half. Thus, you get a half of the planed chapter – making it into almost a standard one, albeit on the shorter side. It would have been called 'The Flames', Now, unofficially, I'm going to call it 'and'.<p>

See you in two weeks, with lots of things happening there.


	35. The Flames

**Disclaimer**: Fire burns, water is wet and Rowling wrote some books I don't own.

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><p>\vvvv\/

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**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXXV

The Flames

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Ginny screamed.

"Bill!" she almost squealed the name and ran towards her oldest brother, pouncing into his open arms.

Bill was laughing as he caught her and swung her around. "Ginny, you're not as light as I remember," he complained as he put her down.

She pouted. "Are you saying that I got fat?" the accusation was playfully fake.

"No. Higher, older and cuter. I haven't seen you since when, last summer? I bet all the boys are after you now."

"Not all of them," Ginny protested weakly. "Just a couple."

"If you want me to speak to anyone annoying..." Bill trailed off.

"Bill," she complained. "Stop it."

He grinned. "I know, I know, you're a big girl now. I still would like to see you as often as I did before..."

"I missed you too," Ginny finally finished snuggling to Bill and released him, however, still staying to stand close to him. "Um..." She flushed, noticing the looks of people around them, and the amused glimmer in Harry's eyes.

"So... A couple?" Harry asked as Cho, for the second time that day, pinched him.

Ginny just flashed him her tongue and turned back to Bill and her mother. "Not that I mind, but what are you doing here?"

"Visiting Harry," Mrs. Weasley supplied. "And everyone else in the family, really."

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It hadn't been long till the final preparations for the task started - the stands were filling with wizards and witches, both students and not. For Ginny, who used the chance to sit with Bill and all other family members, the preparations reminded of a beehive someone had dropped on the ground with an accurate cutting curse.

Handfuls of wizards from DMLE were standing guard at the premises, other ministry employees erecting even more stands for the increasing crowd of onlookers. The minister himself was sitting in the judges' panel, between an excited Ludo Bagman and a frowning Igor Karkaroff, not really happy with either neighbour. Albus Dumbledore sat there too, his pose slumped, as if weighted by an impossibly heavy burden. Ginny saw where the headmaster had thrown a short look - in the stands, there sat a rather bored looking Lucius Malfoy, together with his wife and son. Ginny frowned - why was the Malfoy here? Every time the blond aristocrat had entered the grounds of Hogwarts, there was trouble brewing somewhere.

There was Alastor Moody, sitting only two rows higher, his real eye always following every slightest movement of Lucius - Ginny allowed herself to relax a bit - with the Auror present, Malfoy wouldn't even think of trying something, would he?

The champions - including Harry, of course, were standing straight, readying themselves, looking around, waiting. The crowd was cheering, waving, whereas the champions were a lot more restrained in returning the favour. Ginny could see Harry waving at Cho, and when his gaze was travelling along the crowds, she caught it and waved to him too. He had been smiling the whole time, and she imagined for a moment, that he was waving to her and not to Cho, nor even to the whole Gryffindor House. Just for Ginny. It was a rather selfish thought.

There were cheers, shouts of Harry's name from the stands as well as Krum's and Cedric's. Fleur had her share too - mainly from Beauxbatons side of the stands and, of course, half of the males in the crowd.

The sun was slowly moving to the edge of the world, and Ludo began his short speech. Ginny barely listened as he greeted everyone present - the champions stood vigil, staring straight ahead - at the entrance to the huge maze that stretched beyond the stadium. Ludo was enthusiastically announcing the order in which the champions would enter the maze. He was all but jumping in his seat from the excitement, and the spectators were even more anxious. Ginny could feel the tension in the air - the champions drew their wands in almost a single motion, on Ludo's mark.

There was a loud bang of the cannon, a flash of flames, and Cedric had broken into a run - trying to get as much distance as possible out of his advantage.

Then, but a minute later, when they could only guess at where Diggory was - there was another bang, and Harry was off, too.

Ludo, of course, couldn't be informing the spectators of anything yet - the other two champions had to enter first. This time it took a longer while until the cannon fired once more, and Krum joined the hunt for the cup. Then, finally, when Ginny was all but jumping from her seat to try and see something, anything over the high hedge, Fleur's turn came.

"And with that, all champions are in the game!" Ludo shouted alongside the cheers. "So far, Diggory has been making good time and, it looks like he's taking quick decisions about which path to take, relying on his speed. And..." Ludo dragged the word on almost carefully. "Yes, that is right - Harry Potter has just run into trouble..."

Ginny clenched her firsts. "Harry," she whispered to herself, silently wishing him the best of luck.

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Harry had just chosen to turn right in the first crossing, for he could scent that Cedric had chosen the left one, when there was a quiet moment from the front. Blast-Ended Skrewt - the creature that appeared before him, was a huge, slow moving monster of Hagrid. Ten feet long, it looked more like a giant scorpion than anything. Its long sting was curled over its back. Its thick armour glinted in the light of the night stars. Harry, silently cursing the half-giant in his mind, started casting the first spells. The light of each spell was painfully bright, yet he still could see well enough. However, the Impedimenta only glanced the armour of creature, and, it seemed, made it only angrier. Then, Harry tried out a couple of Reductor curses with similarly bad results - the Skrewt proved to have too much of a thick skin for the spells to take.

He had to jump back to escape a sudden array of burning white sparks, launched at him at the same time as a badly aimed Reductor curse exploded under the belly of the beast. Half-blinded, Harry moved back a few steps, trying out most of the repertoire of his offensive spells, but it was futile. The Blast-Ended Skrewt moved like an unstoppable killing machine - it had homed onto Harry, and was moving directly where he was with impeccable precision.

After seeing a couple more spells get reflected - one of which almost hit him by accident - Harry realised that he wasn't going to get anywhere with the creature while using brute force – but he couldn't turn back now, could he? He had to get past it.

Steeling himself for an impact, as well as covering himself with the strongest Shield Charm he could produce, Harry launched forward, running straight at the enormous creature. It responded by sending a fiery display of sparks that crashed into his Shield Charm like rain assaults a window in a windy day. Potter didn't even falter and jumped - he had a running start and had put everything he could into the jump. He soared up in the air, landing straight on top of the creature. However, his feet slipped on the slippery back, and he painfully landed on the ground. At the other side, at least.

The next second, he was frantically trying to douse the flames on his sleeve with an Aguamenti charm. And, after a short dash running from the Skrewt trailing behind him, he saw something he figured was worse. Two more Blast-Ended Skrewts.

Thanking Remus for every time the man taught him to hold out a barrier under a barrage of spells, Harry frantically tried to figure out a plan. Going forward was suicidal - he could probably get around one Skrewt, but the second one would definitely use the window of opportunity.

Retreat it was - Harry sighed, and cast the strongest Aguamenti he could muster towards the two advancing Skrewts - it collided with their flames, erupting in a heated cloud of steam before him. He rolled back, half jumping and half running towards the first opponent once more. This time, he dove down under - the Skrewt had just used a blast of fire from his behind to launch himself toward Harry, and jumping over was out of the question.

Sliding under the fleshy shell-less underside, Harry stabbed his wand upwards and shouted - "**Stupefy**! **STUPEFY**!"

The stunning spells impacted point blank, and the second Harry slid from under the belly, the Skrewt crashed into the ground with a loud tremor, blocking the way between him and his two relatives. Harry jumped back up, panting.

He wasn't sure how long a stunning spell would hold the creature hostage, so he wanted to get as far as possible. Harry didn't even look back until after taking a couple more turns. He figured that should have been enough and went to check his position with a Four-Point Spell.

Now, he moved more carefully - the Skrewts burning scent was ingrained into his mind, and he didn't even consider taking any route that had a hint of it anymore. He reached another crossing. Which path to take? His target was positioned somewhere at northwest. There was no direct path - north or west?

He scented the air. North held a hint of Krum - the Bulgarian was probably moving with determination that could have outmatched his own. West had a strange, alluring grassy scent, some trickery. Harry sighed - the road that felt more dangerous must have been the right one. Thus, he dashed westward.

The way quickly narrowed into a small passage, barely enough for a single wizards to fit. The branches of the hedge were raking into his arms. He pressed on as the hedge in front of him narrowed even more, and he had to turn sideways. Then, something tried to grab his legs.

He jumped, awkwardly, raking his face in the overgrowth. A stray branch caught the sleeve of his robes, tearing it loudly. The brushes moved even closer, squeezing him in place - but he pressed on, growling - it seemed to only serve to annoy his wolf.

Harry snarled and started conjuring flames. All growing things feared fire. This hedge wasn't an exception. Almost singing his own hair with the heated flame, he felt the green overgrowth retreat. He should have used fire from the beginning.

Continuing along the path - one that conveniently was converging on the northwest, he heard Fleur running just at another side of the thick hedge. She was also sending spell after spell at someone else. Harry took another sniff. Cedric?

"Hey!" there came a shout that confirmed his guess. "Are you crazy?"

Fleur didn't reply except for a playful laughter followed by a few more spells Harry hadn't heard off before.

"**Protego**!" He heard Cedric's reply.

Should he interfere? Harry's wolf urged him to simply run along - it wasn't like the other Champions would kill each other, was it?

There was a strange, sudden cold in the area. The bushes covered with frost, and any happy thoughts suddenly evaporated. He heard Sirius' macabre laughter alongside his mother's scream. And he wasn't sure what had been more chilling - the way the scream dragged on, or the way the ghostly laugh came to a sudden end.

"C'est quoi ça?"

Harry didn't know what that meant, but he had an idea - before him, a cloaked figure had just emerged from around the corner, it's presence almost making him lose any measure of control. The wolf was howling in pain.

"Détraqueur..." There was a cold breath from another side of the hedge.

Harry just grind his teeth, took the wand stronger, and remembered a time which he had spent with Cho in the latest months. "**Expecto Patronum**!"

A silver stag erupted from the end of Harry's wand and galloped toward the dementor, which fell back and tripped over the hem of its robes... Harry had never seen a Dementor stumble.

"Hang on!" he shouted, advancing in the wake of his silver Patronus, "You're a Boggart! **Riddikulus**!"

"Arry?" there was a surprised, yet silent question from the other side of the fence.

But Harry did not delay - he had scented that Cedric used a moment of respite to run past Fleur, and he believed that the French witch hadn't been injured - else he would have smelled blood. He had a Cup to find.

**\/vvvv\/**

**/VVVV\**

Harry, for all the difficulties he had encountered along the way, was feeling rather elated. The wolf had been excited with the challenge, and every trap or pitfall Harry made trough was followed by the rising pride.

He had chosen to never ignite the light of the wand, making full use of his sharp vision in the darkness. With the full moon so close, he was almost drunk on power he felt. Every detail was extremely sharp, every movement of the creatures in the maze - easy to notice. He evaded a couple of encounters by simply choosing a different path – all the creatures so far were not affixed to a certain place and were actually wandering the maze same as the champions – that had made evading them a viable choice.

One trap was laughable, actually - a pit full of snakes. Granted, they were rude, but let him pass when he asked politely. The toughest challenge proved to be a riddle.

He hoped that Cho wouldn't learn about it, as he felt that even spending most of his free time with a Ravenclaw didn't help his riddle-solving skills much. And she probably would only make fun of him.

The answer had been embarrassingly simple - a spider - but it took Harry good five minutes to solve. And he knew that during that time, Krum got in the lead. The scent of the Bulgarian was almost mixed with the cup's aura of magic.

He ran like from a forest fire, trying to reach the cup in time. His wolf wouldn't have had it otherwise.

_There were faint voices echoing in the darkness._

Harry shook his head. He was imagined things - the night was getting darker and darker and the stars were shining weekly in the clouded sky. There was a strange scent of tiredness and darkness in the air.

Then, he was out in the open ground. The cup drew his attention in a second, with its alluring magic. It was in its all majestic beauty, gleaming on a plinth a couple dozen yards away.

The stench of burned meat assaulted his senses, so much, that Harry's eyes started watering - there was a huge burnt spider corpse, lying on the way. Viktor Krum, with a bloody side, was limping towards the cup. On the other side of the field, Cedric emerged, taking in the scene.

As Krum had been carrying a lit wand whereas Harry was in pitch black darkness, Cedric only saw the Bulgarian. Krum also noticed the new arrival, and turned faster that one would expect from an injured wizard. Krum sent a stunner at the Hufflepuff instead of a greeting, but Cedric just swatted the spell away with his wand. As the stunner impacted the ground, Cedric returned a spell that slammed into Krum's chest, stiffening him into an unmoving, awkward pose, just meters before the cup.

Cedric grinned, and took a step to the cup.

Harry's red curse scorched the ground between Cedric and the cup. He almost caught the Hufflepuff unawares, but he couldn't bring himself to use the guaranteed chance for a surprise. His wolf figured he could take the older boy in a fair fight.

"Harry." Cedric nodded respectfully after he saw just who was responsible for the last spell.

"I'm not giving you the cup," Harry showed his teeth for a second. "So we're going to solve it in a duel."

Cedric nodded, thoughtful, raising his wand in a more convenient position. "So, this is it?"

"Yes," Harry replied rather cheerfully. "This is it."

_This was it._

The two Hogwarts champions started circling each other. Cedric's wand tip was glowing lightly, Harry was moving in absolute darkness, wrapped into unnatural silence. The Hufflepuff couldn't believe his eyes - he saw Harry's green orbs glittering in the dark, and he was afraid of the fourth year. Some unnatural primal fear made his chest ache.

And Cedric launched the first spell - if he had dallied more, he would have never started at all. It was a simple, too simple of a spell - a Jelly-Legs Curse. Harry sidestepped the curse at the last second, not even bothering with a shield charm.

Cedric's next spell went sideways - this time a Stunning Charm - Harry had been on the move as the Hufflepuff started casting, and Cedric was too nervous and tired to maintain a completely steady aim.

He barely moved in time to deflect the first spell of Harry's - it was cast the second Cedric was blinded by his own red spell. Cedric cursed silently - all he could do now, was to block the sudden onslaught of Harry's spells.

The duel wasn't very elaborate in terms of magical repertoire - the Stunning Charm was overabundant, intermixed with Disarming Charms from Harry's side - each opponent was trying to disable the other with as little harm as possible. Harry relied heavily on his natural reflexes, that had been honed with the years of playing Quidditch and enchanted with the instincts of the wolf, where Cedric was conserving energy, trying to deflect each spell with his wand - but he too, had to fall back on the Shielding charm sometimes.

It was a taxing and incredibly fast fight - although Harry had the upper hand, sweat was already running down his back - he didn't want to use anything more dangerous, afraid to harm the opponent and it seemed that Cedric had the same problem.

How long did they trade spells? Even if it seemed like hours, Harry knew that it couldn't have been longer than half a minute. Deciding to move in, he braced himself for another impact against his shield, when an Aguamenti went right through his protections, splattering the ground near his feet. A cold gust of wind and the puddle was a slide - Cedric had decided to up the ante too.

However, it wasn't going be that easy - Harry grinned as he pushed himself forward, sliding on the ice towards Cedric. The Hufflepuff could only blink in confusion, when Harry slammed into him, sending them both on the ground. For a second, Harry thought that he had sprained his arm, but it was flexing fine even though it strung somewhat.

_Would give their right hands to perform..._

Both of them jumped up at the same time.

"Wait!" Harry half growled, half said. "Did you hear anything?"

Cedric frowned, but didn't attack - he was taking a moment to rest.

Harry sniffed the air, and turned on his heel, showing Cedric his back. There were strange mix of mixture of scents that kept sending him of tack - a bubbling potion, a scent of darkness, burned flesh and strange magic. There also was- "Fleur!"

She had entered the clearing without a visible light, as Harry had done before, and was already moving towards the cup, trying to get past the other champions. When Harry shouted her name, however, she broke into a run.

Getting similar idea, both Hogwarts Champions started racing towards the cup too.

Fleur cast some sort of complicated fire spell, lighting up the sky with flames.

_Fire was burning under a huge, dark cauldron. _

Cedric cancelled her spell with a surge of water, as Harry shielded himself behind yet another Shield Charm.

Their counter-attack was fast and effective - Cedric cast yet another Stunner, whereas Harry sent the Disarming Charm. Fleur blocked the first one, but the second went through, pushing her a couple of feet back and sending her wand spinning high in the air.

Harry caught the wand, as Cedric disabled Fleur with Full-Body-Bind Curse.

They were but a mere meter from the cup, standing right next to each other, wands aimed at each other's throat, frozen just before the last step.

"You know..." Cedric sighed, speaking slowly, quietly. "I barely escaped Fleur the last time I met her in the maze. I wouldn't have made it this time without you. I wouldn't have known about the second task without Krum. And he told us the secret only because you told him about the dragons. I would have been gone in the first task if you hadn't told everyone." He lowered his wand. "Take the cup."

"Don't do this," Harry growled.

"You deserve it more than I do."

"I don't want you to gift me the victory!" Harry left his wand high. "I don't want to know that you could have won, but gave me the win because of some warped sense of Hufflepuff honour! Raise your wand and-"

_Hurry_.

Harry's hand twitched and his wand slipped his grasp. His vision was getting blurry, really fast. The darkness was threatening to assault him once more.

"Harry?" Cedric asked, but Harry just grabbed at his scar and froze in place.

_Now..._

"I need to see Dumbledore." Harry muttered, his twitching hands barely reaching for his wand. "Take the bloody cup and I'll send the sparks."

A graveyard? Harry's mind was in disarray. He was imagining things where there were none.

_Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!_

There was yet another spike of pain in his scar.

Cedric pushed Harry's wand back into his hands. "Together," he offered. "Ludo said that it would bring us to the start - you'll be right next to Dumbledore."

_Flesh - of the servant - w-willingly given - you will - revive - your master._

"Fine." Harry wheezed, bile rising in his throat.

His feet felt week, his senses were overwhelmed by one of the vilest stenches in existence. Death and darkness, blood and pain.

Cedric pushed Harry's hand over one handle, while getting ready to grab another one.

"Now." He pushed Harry's hand downwards while gripping the other handle himself.

There was a fast swirl of a Portkey and Harry felt a jerk somewhere behind his navel - his feet had left the ground.

_B-blood of the enemy . . . forcibly taken .. . you will. . . resurrect your foe._

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Ludo Bagman was outdoing himself that night. Ginny could almost see Harry fighting the Skrewts, she could imagine Cedric meeting Fleur twice in a row, both times coming to a confrontations with heavy hitting spells - it seemed that Fleur had decided to take out all and any competition, given a smallest chance. It was an understandable tactic, since it was reasonable to believe that others might be better at getting through the maze. Taking them out one by one would ensure her victory as much as getting to the cup first would.

Ginny had clenched her fists when she heard that Harry was heading straight to where Fleur and Cedric were duelling. She wanted Harry to win.

She listened to Ludo's remark that Harry was the only champion who hadn't used any kind of light in the maze yet - the wizard speculated about some sort of enchantment, but Ginny knew better.

She could see Cho sitting lower in the stands, closer to the entrance of the maze; Cho looked even more nervous than Ginny was - the Ravenclaw was sitting next to her friend Marietta and even though both girls were rooting for different champions, they tried to calm each other down.

When Harry and Cedric started trading spells, it looked like both Ravenclaws could faint at any second. Ginny knew better - Harry had never lost a fight. Yet, somehow she still felt a faint sense of dread. She glanced at Lucius Malfoy, who was calmly looking at his watch.

A silver watch, glittering in the light of the stars. It was already late, and the task had been taking quite a while now. Why was Malfoy caring about the time so much?

Ginny took another look at the Judges' table. They all had access to to the same information as Ludo - some sort of enchantments observing the progress of the champions. However, where Bagman was excited, Dumbledore was looking in thought, Karkaroff was rubbing his arm, looking rather panicked. Madam Maxime, towering over the table was excited to hear that Fleur had a chance at the cup, and lastly... Cornelius Fudge. Ginny did a double take - yes, the minister had been here since the start of the task...

She remembered that Barty Crouch was already allowed to leave St. Mungo's on occasion, but was still unable to work - there also was the mater of the investigation and court the man was facing - else he would have been there. Where was Amelia Bones then? She had substituted Barty once already - wasn't she supposed to come - most of the security was in the hands of DMLE - the force of DMLE employees was rather substantial - had something happened?

There was even an Auror or two stationed to watch the crowds - she had been sure - why else Moody would opt to sit not with the teachers and in the public section of the stands?

Why was Lucius Malfoy so calm?

Ginny looked at Bill, who saw her nervous glances, and had a curious expression with untold questions himself.

"Something is going to happen." Ginny whispered.

"You noticed." Bill leaned closer to her. "Something _is _going on. But there's simply too much security for anyone to even try anything." In any case- he had his wand out, spinning it slowly with his fingers.

Then - the crowd went wild.

Ginny gasped, and then, stood up and started cheering with others. "Harry!"

"Incredible - both Hogwarts Champions reach the cup at the same time!" Ludo was celebrating with the crowd. "Hogwarts wins the Triwizard Tournament-"

Ginny was looking at Harry with terror - he looked white like paper, and it looked like Cedric's hand was actually the only thing keeping him from falling down.

Ludo seemed to have noticed the problem too as he suddenly quieted down. Harry, smiling faintly at Cho and Marietta - both girls were among the crowd that was rushing towards the two Champions, started coughing blood.

His scar was actually bleeding now, a trickle of blood running down his face, getting into his eyes. Cedric was letting him lean on the shoulder now - Harry's legs gave way, madam Pomfrey jumping to his aid, Cho grabbing hold of his hand.

The Crowds were standing up, someone was screaming, and Lucius Malfoy - Ginny could see it perfectly - Lucius Malfoy was smiling, the clock hiding back to the pocket in the robes.

Moody was standing right behind Malfoy now - and a wand in his hand was casually pointed at Lucius' back.

And Malfoy was grinning like the world belonged to him.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

_Lord Voldemort had risen again._

_Harry could see the face of the thin man perfectly, it was towering the loud crowds. He was seemingly standing in a graveyard, and the real thing - Cedric's hand helping him to stand straight - felt like a half-forgotten dream already._

_Whiter than a skull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snakes with slits for nostrils. The eyes were looking straight at him._

_"__**Harry Potter,**__" he spat the name like it was dirt. "__**A half breed that has been annoying like no other.**__"_

_Harry tried to call his wolf for help, to attack, but he found himself unable to move. The wolf, he felt, was chained with silver chains, glittering in the moonlight._

_"__**Harry Potter,**__" Voldemort repeated. "__**You will listen when I'm speaking to you.**__"_

He felt like he was falling.

_He was in the graveyard - the wolf was tied to a huge headstone with silver chains. Hard, heavy, massive._

_Harry was standing right next to him. Before them, there was a dark shape. __Its hands were like large, pale spiders; his long white fingers caressed his own chest, his arms, his face; the red eyes, whose pupils were slits, like a cat's, gleamed still more brightly through the darkness, a counterpoint to Harry's glimmering green._

_Red eyes met green. Voldemort grinned, and waved his arm to point around himself._

_"__**You stand, Harry Potter, in a place of my resurrection**__." Voldemort's voice was ringing throughout Harry's mind like one of Vernon's drills. "__**Once, I considered you a worthy opponent, but now, you're nothing but a rabid dog.**__"_

_Harry clenched his teeth. "You have said so before - tried this before. And you never succeeded." One of the chains cracked as the wolf jumped forward, trying to reach the dark figure. "You're in __**my **__mind."_

_Voldemort spared the wolf but a single glance. "__**You're fierce, Potter, I'll give you that. But I am a master of the mind arts. Where you - you are but a savage**__."_

_The wolf was struggling with redoubled intensity, and Harry was actually mentally encouraging him as much as possible. Anything to avenge everyone the dark lord had killed. _

_"__**Your mother died in the attempt to save you- and unwittingly provided you with a protection I admit I had not foreseen.**__" Voldemort was ignoring the wolf completely, as if unaware that a chain had snapped just now and that the wolf was simply __**furious**__. "__**I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost, but I returned back to life. I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality...**__"_

_He took a couple of steps forward, careful not to step in the range of the snarling wolf._

_"__**I have found a way against your mother's sacrifice.**__"__Voldemort laughed. The laughter made Harry's bones hurt. "__**I have defeated your mother's magic.**__"_

_"I am going to destroy you." Harry growled and sprang forward._

_He swiped with his hand trying to hit the Dark Lord, but Voldemort caught the hand mid air. There was a sharp pain emanating from the touch, but it wasn't anything like the time he had fought Quirrell. Voldemort was smiling - it looked like he wasn't in any pain at all._

_"__**I am going to give you one last chance. Bow before me, and I'm going to give you a quick death.**__"_

_"Go to hell!" Harry snarled, and willing everything he could for it to work, tried to call on the wolf - he darted straight on, slamming his forehead right into Voldemort's face. "I'm never giving up!"_

_"__**Good**__." The Dark Lord recoiled, and straightened himself up. He took a glance at the wolf - but a single chain was holding him now, singing in the night like a string of the guitar, a hopeless thin line between him and the deadly jaws. "__**Know these three things, Harry Potter. One - I am not a fool you hold me as - I know the savage minds are dangerous to stay in for a long time. Two - I am not going to kill you just now - I'm going to destroy everything you hold dear first - I will take your world from you.**__"_

_The chain snapped, and the wolf crouched for another leap. One that could be the last._

_"__**Three - you have just learned the secret of Fenrir Greyback.**__" Voldemort spun around like a black whirlpool, and evaporated into nothingness. The wolf landed in an empty space, his fangs finding nothing. The voice continued without a body. "__**Never say that Lord Voldemort is not generous.**__" _

_And then, there was silence._

_Harry howled in rage together with the wolf._

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

It didn't take more than a couple of minutes until Dumbledore started giving orders to bring Harry Potter to the hospital wing. After casting a couple of diagnostic spells aimed somewhere at Harry's chest he gave the care of him over to Madam Pomfrey.

For Ginny it seemed like hours. Cho and Remus were standing the closest to Harry all the time, as he, unmoving, still with some blood in his mouth, slowly rose up in the air. There was a crowd clustered around them, most of them looking grim.

Then, Harry twitched, and his eyes opened. Green, like the light of the killing curse. He tried to sit down or stand up - it wasn't clear as the sudden movements disrupted Pomfrey's spell.

There was a loud howl. Ginny frantically looked at the moon - it looked full, and had just appeared over the horizon. But Harry said that he wouldn't change till tomorrow night?

Cho had been holding Harry's hand all the time, now, with a lightning fast move, he grabbed onto hers, clutching it tightly. At the same time, his whole body was going through something that looked like a seizure.

There were screams rising in intensity.

A loud bang in the stands forced everyone to look up. Lucius Malfoy was standing straight in the middle of the stands, a towering presence before the surprised wizards. Many, having chosen to climb down to see Harry and Cedric up close, now were forced to stand to attention - Lucius had his wand raised, aimed upwards, the loud bang of his last spell still ringing in the stadium.

Moody wasn't even pretending to simply observe anymore - he had a wand pointed straight to Lucius' throat.

"If Auror Moody would allow me to say a few words." Lucius' voice was under effects of the Sonorus Charm - ringing loud and sure, not even a bit nervous about the wand poking at his throat. "Not too long ago there was an assault on my only son and heir. It was both shocking and cruel turn of events. However, everything we were told about the attack, was just a **lie**. Now, I present you with the **truth**."

He pushed Moody's hand aside with his cane and pointed the tip towards Harry, who was twitching in obvious pain, still holding onto Cho so hard that she had tears in her eyes. His nails were digging deep into her skin, drawing blood. The wizards were backing away, as his body twisted unnaturally, fur sprouting rapidly all over. The crowd, frightened yet captivated, listened to Lucius' words.

"Harry Potter has hidden his true visage from us. He is a half-breed - a werewolf. I, Lucius Malfoy, the oldest member of the ancient and noble Malfoy house, hereby claim the werewolf's life to repay the damage done to the Malfoy family. This dangerous beast has attacked and mutilated my only heir, and I demand the Chief Warlock, present before us today, to confirm this right, one we have had since seventeenth century's Werewolf Code of Conduct - _'if a werewolf shall lay a hand on the last heir of any magical family, his life is forfeit'_. By that right, I will slay this wretched creature, and save all of you from the mindless beast in our ranks."

Lucius' wand was aimed directly at Harry Potter, and the wand tip was glowing green. Exactly the kind of green the eyes of the black wolf were radiating. Harry had almost completed the change - his face was still reminiscent that of a human. The almost-wolf stood atop of the Ravenclaw, growling, his paws on her chest, his growing fangs wet with his own blood, drops falling right onto Cho's white face.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**\/vvvv\/**

**THE END OF THE BOOK ONE**

**/VVVV\**

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

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><p>Yes, there is going to a second part of the story, and I'm going to be posting it here, same as I had done with previous updates. However, this is an important landmark, and the main themes of the story will shift. Expect a short author's note before the next update. Estimated start of the last part of FFF is in two to three weeks depending on my real life schedule.<p> 


	36. Sacrificed

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who read this story, and of course, those, who had taken their time to write a review, either a small note or a long, involved one or, even going as far as to review almost every update. I'm glad to have gotten more than two hundred reviews as I have finished the first book. It was a fun journey, and this day here marks the beginning of the second part of the journey, which, I hope will be as fun for you as it will be interesting for me.

I have decided, contrary to the idea I had when I started writing FFF, not to post a new story, but continue publishing the new chapters here. If I had, though, this is what could have possibly appeared in my story list today:

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><p><strong>Feathers, Fangs and Flames: The Hunt<strong> by Nauro

Harry Potter, turned into a werewolf by Remus Lupin a year ago, scarred and injured, yet never completely defeated, is on the hunt for justice. Fighting for the truth, himself, and those dearest to him, Harry wants to see Cho and Ginny safe. But his life has never been simple.

_Harry Potter - Rated: T - English - Adventure/Romance - Chapters: 1 - Words: 3,500 - Published: 12/26/2012 - Harry P. & Ginny W._

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><p>Without further ado, let's move on to the newest chapter.<p>

**Disclaimer: **You should know the drill.

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**BOOK TWO**

**The Hunt**

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXXVI

Sacrificed

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The Triwizard Tournament was over the very second two Hogwarts Champions had touched the gleaming cup. Everyone was expecting a colourful ending to such an astounding performance, but now...

Students and guests, every wizard and witch were in disarray. Some people were fleeing, spreading unrest as they were moving through the crowd to someplace they could apparate from, some students choosing to run towards the caste, one on top of another - the panic, some deep, primal fear of the wolf, of a violent and painful death, was spreading like a wildfire. Only some Ministry employees were holding ground, unsure as to what their role was to be.

The panic was not at it highest point yet, but that was only due to the fact that the change was not yet complete. The black werewolf already stood in a widening circle. Empty, but for him and a screaming girl he was pressing into the ground. The silvery white fangs, shining with the reflections of the moonlight, were dripping blood and his dark fur was standing threateningly.

Cho Chang looked even smaller than she was, with her long black hair sprawled on the ground like an exotic, surreal, shifting carpet, a shining darkness reaching for the world. Her round, dark brown eyes were tracing the paths of the falling drops. Her face was already freckled with spots of red, warm blood, latched onto her fearful expression.

Albus Dumbledore looked shaken, his worry creeping into his pose - the drawn wand was slightly twitching, and he was slightly crouched, standing on his toes, ready to act.

Lucius Malfoy was a pillar of cool anger - his wand pointed at the wolf, the tip of it lit with green light, his eyes bathing Harry Potter in rage. The eyes of an unrestrained murdered and madman.

It seemed that the time had stopped - any moment now, something would happen, sending everyone in the action.

Many things did happen at once, a second of stillness broken.

Harry's transformation was over.

A phoenix burst into life with bright flame on the shoulder of Albus Dumbledore, looking ready to swoop down and snatch Harry at the word of the Headmaster.

Remus Lupin dashed to stand in the way between Lucius Malfoy and Harry Potter in a swift, inhuman motion, a wand already in his hand.

Alastor Moody snapped a disarming charm at Lucius from the side - point blank - sending the glowing wand up in the air and making Lucius stumble to regain his footing.

A swirling whirlwind of the Portkey snatched both Harry and Cho, sending the wolf and the girl spinning in a mad whirlpool.

Lucius Malfoy screamed in rage.

The Minister of Magic stared, dumbfounded.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry's mind was reeling - there were strange smells of the crowd, blood and death assaulting his nose, his vision was blurry. Filled with red rage of the wolf, he saw only blood and the warm shapes surrounding him - he remembered snarling, growling, trying to make them back off, to focus enough to survive the assault of their foreign presence.

Now, the spinning Portkey had sent him flying into a desk. Something bad was going on - the room was rather silent, and only one warm shape was there with him, falling backwards, trying to escape. And the wolf was still enraged - all Harry's attempts to call it down were for naught.

An enemy?

His rage was tearing deep into his heart with overpowering waves of anger and pain, desperation and fear, and he lunged forward. Something silver flashed in the air - and his fangs bit into something hard and rather heavy - something that should have been flesh, but wasn't.

The red curtain of rage, muddling his vision was slowly retreating and Harry realised just what he was doing - he had jumped forward, trying to bite at the only other person in the room in anger. Cho! She had only half a second to react, and had covered her neck - Harry was afraid to event think about what could have happened just then. And what could still happen - he was biting at her hand, his jaws not closing onto human flesh only because of the silver bracelet she always wore. One he had gifted her, seemingly ages ago.

There was a loud snap, as his teeth cracked the silver bracelet, and a loud pop, throwing him backwards. Some kind of magic had kicked in, throwing him back - away from Cho. Was it a spell she had cast? No - her wand was lying on the grown, mid-way between them.

Harry crashed into something again - this time - a wall, feeling the magical restrictions fall into place - but he knew that they couldn't hold him forever. And he couldn't - mustn't have hurt her. Not anymore. He lowered himself to the ground, trying not to get up. What had he done?

He could see Cho clearly now - everything had a red, bloody shade, but not as much as before. His vision was swirling, he was seeing spots in the air, his eyes were hurting. A trickle of blood was running down his muzzle - was it only his?

Cho, her voice breaking down from terror, was whimpering, looking at the bracelet on her hand. The crack had split the silver bracelet in two - part of the raven was now on the floor, and the whole thing was awkwardly bent - piercing into her skin, even - obviously painful to the girl.

She looked like a small, prey animal cornered by a fearful beast - she was too afraid to move, too afraid to speak, too far from her comfort zone - too broken to act coherently. Cho's gaze didn't even look for the wand, she was looking straight at the big black wolf.

Harry was trying to back away, to hold himself as unthreatening as he could, but he knew that there wasn't much time. When he believed that he wouldn't harm his **pack**, he wouldn't harm his **mate**, he hadn't yet smelled human scent so near himself. It was nothing like trying not to hurt a black hound or another werewolf, either in his human or wolf forms. So unlike the ones he had been spending his full moons with. It was a real life human - a true **prey**.

And humans were alluring - the scent of their intoxicating fear - the tasteful aroma of their raw meat - Harry could see the feast that was waiting for him - he could imagine the incredible pleasure that letting himself loose would bring. He would have to take a step and jump - this time he wouldn't miss, wouldn't let her escape. He would tear into her, breaking the soft skin, feeling the twitching pleasure of the dying prey, it would be so simple, so satisfying... So right.

A part of him was screaming for the wolf to stop, to not give in to temptation, to stand down. And the wolf... He was listening. For now.

Back away! He wanted to scream at her, but it was only a low growl from the depths of his throat. Flee!

Cho, was desperately looking for a way out, when the growl shook her once more, making her jump back.

The sudden movement ticked some sort of switch in Harry's mind - he jumped forward, slamming into an invisible wall. He fell down as a golden translucent barts glimmered from nothingness. Dumbledore - he realised with rising hopes - Dumbledore had accounted for a possibility that he would use the portkey with someone else, someone human touching him.

Cho snatched her wand - luckily - on her side of the room.

The wolf slammed into the wall once again - the magic sent him back, but he didn't care anymore - he was bathing in her fear, taking pleasure in the twitch of her body, in the loud sound of her beating heart. In the change of her smell.

Hunting something that feared him - it was a new thrill, and Harry had to fight tooth and nail for any semblance of control - but like countless times before - he was too weak to force the wolf. Even though the wolf understood his wishes - he had to try and breath the protections - again and again.

Luckily for them both, before the barrier shattered, Cho found the door. It was veiled from their sight - but she knew there had to be a door - and that was one of the things the magic tried to hide. When she started looking - it appeared out of nowhere, and panicking, stumbling she awkwardly grasped the handle and opened it.

She opened a way to an empty corridor - the classroom was in a part of the castle the classes were never held in - at least in the last century or two.

The wolf was still trying to get through, but she saw - not with such vigour as before. And she closed the door, falling on her knees. The wand, clutched like a safeline, fell out of her hand, and she leaned onto the wall- The wall?

The door was gone - stolen by the castle walls. Only the beating heart and the painfully twisted bracelet told her that yes, behind _that _wall, Harry Potter was a beast trying to get outside - to tear her apart. She had seen his eyes. She knew.

Cho started sobbing uncontrollably.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"What is the meaning of this!" Lucius Malfoy shouted, wandless and raging. "Dumbledore - you know the law as well as I do! Why are you stepping onto the tradition? Why has your lapdog-," he was still under the effects of a Sonorus Charm and his voice was ringing all over the field. Lucius threw a look at Moody, who seemed worried, but not about the threat in Lucius voice. "Attacked me?"

Dumbledore, at that moment, a picture of venerable wisdom, was no doubt, preparing some well crafted answer. Now, that Harry Potter should have been safe and the emergency Portkey had worked without a glitch - he knew that the destination wasn't changed - he had checked for that first thing. It would be a tough battle of words, that might cost him his Chief Warlock position - but he knew what he had to do.

"Lucius." It wasn't Dumbledore, but Remus, who started to speak.

Worry spread on the Headmaster's face. "Don't," he whispered desperately, knowing what the man was hoping to achieve. "Remus, Harry won't-"

"_Sonorus_." Remus touched his throat gently, now speaking as loud as Lucius had. His voice carried over everyone, calm, yet ringing with pure steel. Remus was determination personified. "My name is Remus John Lupin and I am a werewolf."

The crowd, still not steady after a werewolf changed, and disappeared in their midst, watched Remus with open fear and repulsion - the thought everyone had in their mind was simple - was this werewolf going to change too, and try to rampage in their ranks - with the anger that radiated together with Remus' voice, it was a viable eventuality. But they listened.

"Albus Dumbledore," he slightly turned to the headmaster as he said this. "Chief Warlock of Wizengamot. A wizard has asked you for an old right to be approved. He is right - Harry Potter is a werewolf, and has been one since last summer."

Lucius didn't know what to say or do - was Remus Lupin defending his claim - that couldn't be true, could it?

"Lucius Malfoy," Remus spat the words like the worst insult there was. "Is right in his saying that the law, passed in sixteen thirty seven, sets a precedent for his request. And he is also correct in Chief Warlock having a final say on the matter, with, of course, the choice to move the matter before the full Wizengamot. In these modern times of change, deciding whether there is a valid reason to use this established precedent, could go either way."

Hermione gasped and started muttering something under her breath. Dumbledore looked at Remus with pleading eyes.

"No doubt, this affair would take quite a while, and our esteemed Lucius Malfoy," the spite was there again, masked under a transparent cloak of etiquette. "The wizard who was a victim in the whole affair, wouldn't see justice served if that was the case. Thus, Chief Warlock, I must ask you to consider your response, and act accordingly."

Lucius had lost any semblance of composure - his eyes were glittering with unrestrained content - he believed that his wildest dream was coming true - was Dumbledore a fool enough to confirm a right to kill his beloved student? There was, however, a nagging feeling that something was going not as planned. Lucius, torn between elation and paranoia, tried to remember the full law established that year.

The Wizarding law, operated similarly to their Muggle counterparts - the precedent of older cases had been the stronger argument - and the Chief Warlock of Wizengamot, like the Muggle House of Lords had the heaviest sway applying the precedents. Lucius did not know what to expect anymore.

"As you might have heard before - my name is Remus John Lupin and it is I who turned Harry Potter into one of my kind - into a werewolf. It was I who forced him to hide the fact for the whole year, I was the one who attacked and turned the last member of the magical family. I await your judgement, Chief Warlock."

The phoenix jumped from Albus shoulder, and flew up into the sky, leaving a fiery trail in the night. There was a cough at the place the bird took off.

Albus Dumbledore, surrounded by complete silence, sighed, and then, there was no more of the old, defeated man. His pose straightened, his eyes started burning with fierce gaze. There was no magic in what he did, but his presence suddenly spiked - everyone turned to look at him - the greatest wizard alive, the man behind the justice of the Wizarding World. The man, having the power to use the old law in the case that, in saner circumstances, would have been dismissed to Wizengamot... With but one word from the Chief Warlock, the ancient law would be applicable.

"Lucius Malfoy, I have heard your claim, and this is my will, as the Chief Warlock of Wizengamot," Albus was speaking slowly and quietly, but with such fire in his words, that everyone turned to see the blaze in his eyes, the firm pose of the wizard, to listen to the words that would decide the fate of the Boy-Who-Lived. "As in the case three hundred years ago, of one Evan Grey, a werewolf who maimed two members of Carrow family, I recognise the connection to the claim of Lucius Malfoy. It must be noted, that in that case, the right for vengeance was approved as per the same right Lucius Malfoy has called forth this night. You all must already know, that like Evan Grey, Harry Potter is the last magical heir to the Potter family, with the magical name to be lost in the event of his death. Exactly like Evan Grey, Harry Potter had been turned against his own will. Evan Grey was pardoned, for a werewolf who turned him had come forth before the Wizengamot and confessed having turned the last member of the Grey family into a werewolf. Like Remus Lupin just did.

"As Lucius Malfoy perfectly knows, our society frowns on the events that end a Magical line. Thus, in this case, same as three hundred years ago, I must do the same as my predecessor. I confirm this right for vengeance, your privilege to kill the man who is the true villain in this tragedy - not Harry James Potter, who must live on to continue his family line, but Remus John Lupin. Mr. Lupin, for your crimes against the wizarding society, for changing a wizard into a werewolf, your sentence is death. Lucius Malfoy, by his demands, has his right to take over the place of the executor."

There was short silence, which quickly erupted into shouts and screams - many were shouting one over the other, demanding some explanation or simply trying to understand what had happened. Had the Headmaster, a man who never spoke for any sort of punishments so lightly, just condemned a former Professor of Hogwarts to death sentence?

"Lucius," Remus asked calmly, the charm making his voice boom over the cacophony of whispers. "Am I going to wait for you all day?"

Lucius dove under the seat - where his wand had fallen.

Remus glanced upwards for the briefest of moments and laughed.

Before Lucius could even prepare a spell, the flaming bird dove down from the black sky with a reassuring trill.

"Don't make the assumption that I won't resist, Lucius!" Remus shouted, grabbing the tail of the majestic bird. There was an incredibly light flash, like a sun had born in the middle of the Quidditch field, and when the fire burned itself, Remus John Lupin was not there anymore.

A green beam slammed into the place he had been, scorching the ground with a black, ugly stain, sending bits and pieces of dirt scattering.

"What did you do!" Lucius screeched, forgetting all semblance of control. He had thought to be victorious and lost one too many times. "Don't think I can't recognise your bird, Dumbledore! We all saw that you brought him - it's your familiar - and you have just obstructed my right! Mine!"

"Au contraire," Dumbledore smiled without any sort of cheer, replying as calmly as he could, calm in the midst of the ever rising confusion. "You have moved onto to accept my decision, and tried to end the life of Professor Remus Lupin. As our law states, we cannot arrest you for the usage of that particular curse, even though its calm usage implies something that I do not think anyone of us wants to think about. To answer you question, as no doubt you are curious, Fawkes was never my familiar. Rather, phoenixes only choose the people they like to keep as their company. And, as, inherently, they are the creatures of pure light magic, I can only guess at its true thoughts - it must be that the phoenix found something repulsive in the decision I made today, thus, alas, leaving me forever without his company.

"Is it not something to think about?" Dumbledore asked in a solemn voice. "I condemned a man so easily, that the Phoenix chose to save a man cursed with darkness instead of staying with me. What do you think he is thinking about _you_? What do you believe was _right_, Lucius? I pity the state of your soul, even more when I regret this plight of mine."

And, the headmaster turned to walk back into the castle, witches and wizards parting from his way.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Remus landed painfully, the flames of the phoenix still burning his - well - everything. He hadn't been burned in the direct sense, but the process had been excruciating - his body, his very soul felt like on fire. The curse of Lycanthropy was dark in nature, and even good intentions couldn't shield him from the burning agony of the phoenix flames.

There was an annoying scent of smoke in the air, as Remus stood up, heavily. He was in their usual classroom, watched by the dark wolf - Harry looked alright, and Remus couldn't smell any human blood in the air. There was only a faint trace of Cho and some sort of humming quality of the Dumbledore's protections hanging around the classroom.

He leaned to pick up a small sliver of silver off the ground. Harry was watching with a look of curiosity and confusion, and, Remus realised, regret. Lupin slumped down on the nearest table, playing with the piece of metal. Where was it from? It had the scent of Cho - could she have tried to defend herself with silver? A pointless attempt - she must have known better.

Fawkes had chosen to remain in the room, and found himself some improvised perched near the top of the arched ceiling. The bird was silent, watchful. Remus coughed a few times. He hoped Dumbledore would turn up in the morning, at least - Harry looked to be too violent for any human to be safe around him now.

Werewolves, were another matter entirely - the black wolf, after observing the form of Remus for a while, moved closer. There was a slight crackle in the room as the magical barrier sprung into view once more. It looked deformed and barely holding, but the bars were there.

Remus jumped up, and walked up to Harry, putting his hand through one of gaps.

"You always change early." He offered, while scratching the black, bloody wolf between the ears. "Don't worry, everything is under control now."

The wolf shook his head slightly.

"I know, Harry, I know." Remus stilled in his touch. "We'll just have to adapt."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>Expect a new chapter as usual, sometime in two weeks. In the extra time of Christmas, I will focus on correcting and improving some former chapters, and in this endeavour, Morta's Priest has given me some invaluable help. Expect a newer version of first chapter in a matter of days, more info with next update.<p> 


	37. Hunted

**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter and the Rowling of Secrets.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXXVII

Hunted

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The Triwizard Tournament was over – Hogwarts had won. The Minister of Magic took extra care to announce Cedric Diggory as the sole winner – the Hufflepuff was leading in points before the Third Task, thus paving the path for Fudge to make such a move. Diggory denied being the sole wictor and claimed that Harry Potter deserved victory as much, or even more than he did. Cornelius Fudge, of course, did not care in the slightest, but the Hufflepuff's speech at least made him grumble something about the impartial decision of the judges.

Not soon after a rather unceremoniously given prize of one thousand Galleons was in Cedric's Hands, the Minister was gone with his own business, claiming important matters to the magical Britain. The foreign visitors were appalled at such a handling of things, but did not voice their complaints too loud. Yet. Albus Dumbledore was away, Karkaroff, as it turned out, had disappeared in the early stages of the panic, and Madam Maxime, even though larger than most, was not enough to satisfy everyone's curiosity. When she was bombarded with questions it came to light that she did not know much more than the average wizard doing the asking.

Thus, Hogwarts turned into a buzzing hive of rumours and misinformation. Some third years were claiming that Harry Potter turned into a phoenix and disappeared together with Remus Lupin, others were swearing that he had torn Cho Chang to pieces in front of the whole stands full of witnesses. A seventh year Slytherin was claiming that Dumbledore decided to confirm death sentence for Harry Potter and his phoenix left him with the final display of phoenix flames, thus finally outing Albus Dumbledore as a true dark wizard.

Fred and George, although shocked with the events having transpired at the final task, plunged neck deep into the rumour business, trying to come up with the silliest stories to tell others, trying to make the Rotfang Conspiracy look sensible in comparison. They took the Moony's supposed guilt like a personal insult, 'uncovering' hundreds of different plots – including one, where Remus Lupin was a formerly unknown bastard son of Merlin, thrown forward in time by the evil magic, and now, only by visiting the Stonehenge he and Harry Potter would be able to save the world. Of course, that last bit conveniently served as an explanation where the two had gone to. That others were recounting the tale, told much about the thirst the Hogwarts rumour mill had.

The mystery only grew in size, as the Ministry was yet to announce an official version of the events, and newest the Daily Prophet issue kept being delayed – rumours told it was going to be sent to every Witch and Wizard at any minute, but no one had gotten to see anything yet.

If that was a plan of the Ministry to stop people talking about the events before a consensus was found, it only proved to be a perfect highlight – the end of the Triwizard Tournament was being discussed everywhere – you couldn't find a single wizard in the whole British Isles who hadn't heard about the disappearance of Harry Potter and the impromptu court session between Albus Dumbledore and Lucius Malfoy.

To make the matters worse, no one had seen the Harry Potter since his change, no one knew where Remus Lupin was, and Albus Dumbledore was, according to the rumours, locked in a seemingly endless debate in an emergency session at Wizengamot.

No one could stop talking about it. The Sunday's breakfast had everyone eagerly waiting for the owls carrying the issue of Daily Prophet that just did not arrive.

It was into this information starved of a gathering that Cho ended up walking into that Sunday morning.

She had managed but a couple of steps when the gazes of everyone present in the great hall fell on her. To their credit, no student tried to swam her – but the moment she sat down, at Ravenclaw table, the most curious ones scooted closer, and started asking questions.

"Where were you all night?" Roger Davies, was the first one to intrude upon her, since she chose to sit between him and Marietta - somewhere near her usual place.

Cho, still slightly shaken with the sudden attention, tried to reply as calmly as she could. "In the hospital wing."

"We were worried about you," Roger explained, still looking worried. "When you didn't turn up in the dormitory, the Quidditch team even went looking for you. Grant got detention from being out after the hours-"

"Were you hurt?" Marietta interrupted Roger quite rudely. "How is... Harry?"

"I don't know." Cho muttered taking a glass of pumpkin juice, her hand shaking, drops of pumpkin juice spraying her sleeve. "Could we not talk about it?"

"You're not wearing your bracelet," a girl remarked from further away.

That sent a whole new round of whispers.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Marietta gasped and grabbed Cho's hand.

Cho jumped back at the sudden movement and touch. "I'm sorry," she said. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"He did." Marietta huffed angrily, making her own deductions from her behaviour.

"Of course Harry hurt her," Lisa all but shouted from the other side of the table. "He's a _werewolf_ and he never told her! He didn't _bite _you, I hope?"

"No - I..." Cho whitened like paper and her glass slipped from her hand, shattering on the ground, luckily it was already mostly empty, and the splash only singed her feet.

"Enough." Cedric stood up – he had been at the table the whole time – keeping Marietta company, minding his own until that moment. "She said she doesn't want to talk about it."

Roger scratched the back of his head. "What the heck..." He slammed a fist into the table. "You heard what Diggory said – leave Cho alone, and go bugger someone else!"

The table stilled – and people quickly returned to their usual whispers.

"Thank you," Cho offered, as she vanished the shards of the glass with the slightly trembling hand.

"Anytime." Roger grinned at the small girl. "I have to look out for my best Seeker."

Cho sighed, wiped a couple of rising tears from her face, and tried to finally eat something. It proved a difficult task, with all the whispers about her. "That's how he..." She almost choked on the thought, and looked around – no one seemed to have heard her, beside Marietta and Roger, and they did not opt to press her to explain.

After the longest breakfast she could remember - one that felt like it took hours, when she was already leaving, Ron and Hermione found her. Two people she did not really want to talk to, but knew that she had to. So, she just sighed once more, and turned to greet them.

Ron seemed to be on the edge a lot more than Hermione was, although Cho noticed the bushy haired girl biting at her lips nervously – they did not want to speak where anyone could overhear, and Cho, frantically trying to figure out just what she was going to tell them, was not waiting until they were clear. Giving her a moment of respite, Roger was still playing a bodyguard, more focused on keeping anyone else away, than getting in the way of Ron and Hermione, but he was someone neither of Harry's friends trusted enough to start speaking properly.

That led to them walking around the issue, at first.

"How do you feel?" Hermione had just asked. "After yesterday?"

"Fine," she offered, twitching at how 'Harry' she had just sounded.

"And Harry?" Ron asked. Hermione gently touched his hand. "McGonagall did not let us see him, but we know he's in the castle somewhere."

Roger raised an eyebrow at that, but did not comment – he was busy shooing away some brave and nosy fifth year.

Cho glanced at Roger. "I don't know."

Ron looked ready to protest, but Hermione's hand was holding him in check.

"I'm sorry you had to experience that," Hermione offered. "Harry never would wish to hurt you."

Cho whitened considerably. "I know," she whispered. No one heard her.

"Cho?" Hermione pressed on.

"I'm so sorry." Cho had tears running down her cheeks. "I – I can't..."

Roger moved closer. "Hey, I know Harry's your best friend, but don't make Cho-"

Cho stopped him, still sobbing. "It's fine, Roger, really, just - let me speak to them alone."

"Are you sure?"

"We'll take care of her," Hermione said. "We're not going to make her say anything she doesn't want to."

Ron glanced at Roger, looked back at Hermione, and nodded. "Yeah. Of course."

"If you say so." Roger shrugged, before going off. "Cho, if you need anything, I'm going to be in the common room, near the bookshelves. Later."

Cho nodded at her Quidditch captain, and followed him with her eyes until he was gone around the next corned. Cho turned back to the two Gryffindors and took a deep breath.

"Did Dumbledore let you see Harry?" Ron asked, quite impatiently, but at least, in a pleasant tone.

"No." She replied, trying to wipe her tears of with the sleeve. "I don't know what to say..." She leaned back to the wall, for support, her legs wobbling uncontrollably. "Dumbledore didn't say much of anything. I er..." Cho looked around once more. "I saw Professor Lupin. He didn't look good – and he was speaking with Dumbledore – I'm not sure that I remember what about, even. Is it true – everyone is talking differently – is Professor Lupin going to be hunted by the ministry?"

"He is." Hermione sighed. "Of course, there's the Wizengamot session that is going to debate the whole thing to death, but it's probably not going to get changed. We should know something until Monday. What about Harry?"

"Harry," the name was painful for Cho to pronounce, and she sobbed once again. "I don't know. Dumbledore said he was going to be fine, but I – I can't – I saw his eyes. Hermione, I saw his eyes."

Hermione gently touched her shoulder, slowly trying to warm up to her, calm her down.

Cho, however, twitched back like Hermione had hit her. "I'm sorry. I just – can't."

Then, she slid down the wall to slump uncomfortably on the ground. "That wolf – _Harry_ – it looked right into my eyes – and I," she was pouring the words fast now, losing some of them, but the general meaning was clear, and her eyes were staring into nothingness. "It wanted to kill me. But at the same time – he wanted to save me. But Harry wasn't – I saw him trying, but he couldn't – I jumped back, and he attacked. Dumbledore said that there was a spell, and he couldn't have bitten me in that room – I was safe – but I wasn't – I saw how he was trying to get to me – I can't even close my eyes without seeing him now – and the blood..." She quieted down a notch. "He was bleeding before – from the scar, or that was during the task – and that blood..."

Cho touched her own face, feeling the tears running down her cheeks. She quickly grabbed at the tickle of salty water with her hand, then, flexed her fingers slowly back, to look. It was as if she was expecting the wet tears to be blood. Her expression softened a bit when she saw that her fingers were only wet with tears.

"If there wasn't a spell – if the Headmaster hadn't-" Cho said, after a short pause. "Harry would have bit me. He might have killed me."

Hermione covered her mouth. Ron was simply gaping at Cho, his own fears playing in the back of his mind, his eyes gleaming with that fear, hidden deep inside.

"I'm sorry." Cho said. "I don't think I could see Harry just now – but the Headmaster said he should be fine in a couple of days."

"What about Remus – you saw him?" Ron asked. "Harry did not want to hurt you – he just can't help himself on the full moon. He cares about you a lot – he even mumbles so in his sleep."

"I know." Cho hugged her legs closer. "But I can't – maybe – later – I barely held myself from running from Professor Lupin. But Dumbledore was there – and I don't know what I'm going to do if I see Harry."

Hermione offered her a hand. "He's going to understand."

"No-" Cho argued, not even sparing the hand a look. "I promised him. And I can't keep that promise. I never imagined – I can't."

"People make promises all the time," Hermione said. "It is bad to break a promise, but it might be worse to let a promise break you."

"Thank you," Cho still did not take the hand. "I hope I won't have to - you know - it might get better after a while - just - I can't look at anyone trying to touch me the way I could before."

Hermione withdrew the hand. "I understand."

"You don't." Cho rubbed her eyes again. "But thanks for trying."

There was a short pause. Cho slowly got up, moving precisely, yet incredibly slow. Hermione crossed her arms.

"Don't turn away from him," Cho asked, stunning both Ron and Hermione. "He's going to need the two of you. Now, more than ever. I'm sorry that I betrayed your trust."

Then, she straightened herself, and dug out something from her bag, quickly shoving it into Ron's hands.

"Tell Harry - I don't know - I'm sorry," Cho added. "Just ask him not to go looking for me - to not make it harder for us that it is now. I'll find him. Tell him that I don't... It wasn't just his fault. "

And she was off.

Hermione turned to Ron, who was clutching the silvery glinting piece safely hidden in his grip. The pieces of Cho's silver raven bracelet.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Moony?" were Harry's first coherent words, after he shredded the wolf's skin. "What happened?"

"I hoped you would be the one to shed light on the matter, Harry." It turned out that Albus Dumbledore was in the classroom together with Remus. It smelled of raw meet, regret, pain and magic. "How do you feel?"

"Strange." Harry replied, shaking his head - everything was spinning - there were some things that just did not fit - for one, there were far too many colours than before. "How long was I...?"

"Four nights," Remus answered. "Until the moon was no longer full."

"It's all... So blurry," Harry licked his teeth feeling the alluring taste of fresh meat, however, he already felt rather full, meaning he did not only dream of hunting, but actually had eaten something. He hoped it wasn't anything still alive. "In the end, I thought I wasn't going to change back."

Remus nodded. "I thought we lost you."

Harry laughed with a barking, dead man's laughter, so eerily similar to Sirius' that Remus shuddered.

"I'm sorry for bringing this up again, but there are a couple of people eager to see you, and I can not, in good consciousness, permit them entry, until we have confirmed that it is safe," Dumbledore looked rather tired, that was becoming an usual sight for Harry.

However, Harry did not really listen further than the mention of someone else coming to visit. "Cho?! How is she?"

"Miss Chang has emerged the ordeal without any injuries, however she

has been severely shaken by the experience. She is getting better, but alas, she is not one of the visitors waiting for the evaluation of your state to end."

Harry clenched his teeth. "I tried to stop myself, but I couldn't. It was too fast - too intense..."

Remus sat right next to him, placing an assuring hand over Harry's shoulders. "I know how you feel - but nothing happened that can't be fixed in the future."

"Is there anything else?" Harry asked Dumbledore. "I remember something about Malfoy speaking loudly - the senior one - but the memory is rather vague - what happened?"

"Harry, we will explain everything later - I need to know what happened during the the Third Task - I have only third hand accounts, and I need to know what _you _saw in particular."

"I understand, sir," Harry said as he sat straighter, trying to stretch the muscles of his body. "It was another attack by Voldemort. He's back."

Neither Dumbledore nor Remus looked one bit surprised - Harry figured that it was more like he had just confirmed a theory or a rumour, rather than bringing breaking news. Or, even, that he wasn't the first source to have seen proof.

"He tried to do something similar to what he did in the second task. But this time, he was stronger - and he restrained the wolf - he was trying to anger me, too, as much as possible. He told me that it was a secret of Fenrir Greyback."

"I see." Dumbledore hummed under his breath. Not a merry tune, by any stretch of imagination, rather, a thoughtful melody. "I believe that we can now say that the rumour about Fenrir's changes has basis in truth. Voldemort must know even more than he has revealed, but it is something we can work with. Could you tell me everything before it? Perhaps, you should start at the beginning of the task and we will work our way through your experiences."

And Harry did so - he launched into a short explanation of how the task started, what obstacles did he get through. He mentioned the strange voice that he seemingly heard during the confrontation with Cedric, and the vision with Voldemort.

"Further than anybody along the path to immortality?" Remus asked, after Harry was finished. "Albus, do you know what that means?"

The headmaster shrugged, thoughtful. "It could mean any number of things - but it confirms at least, that it is something Voldemort came up by himself, but had built upon the known methods - for he claims to have used the very same road that others do."

"Does this have to do with the _diary_, sir?" Harry asked. "With the shattered parts of his soul?"

Dumbledore nodded, as Remus looked confused.

"He has made more than one of - whatever that book was?" Harry pressed on.

"Yes," Dumbledore agreed. "They are called _Horcruxes_, and are one of the foulest things a man can do to his own soul."

"Horcruxes." Harry echoed quietly to himself.

"I haven't heard about them," Remus admitted. "Something with a part of the soul? A cursed object?"

"Worse," Dumbledore explained. "Essentially, a Horcrux is a vessel for one's soul, made by the rituals that cost one every part of him that is human - a soul, divided and scattered is then sealed into some sort of artifact, protected by the worst enchantments known to Voldemort, hidden in a safe place. As long as one of his Horcruxes is left - Voldemort cannot truly die."

"But they can be anywhere!" Harry spluttered.

"And thus, you see the crux of the problem."

"There can be any number of them, and any one of them would be guarded." Remus looked downwards. "Seems like an impossible task."

Dumbledore smiled, fatherly, reassuringly. "But you don't have to concern about it too much - I am currently researching a couple of possible ways to find some of the information we need, to find the missing pieces of the puzzle."

"Sir," Harry spoke again, his voice ringing with determination. "I want you to bring me together when you go to find it."

Dumbledore thought about it. "I am not going to dissuade you to wait for a couple of years?"

Harry shook his head.

"Alright. I will try to include you in the efforts."

"I want to assist as well." Remus spoke up. "It's as much my fight as it is Harry's. And it seems I'm going to have a lot of free time on my hands anyway."

Harry jumped at that - it rang too bleak for him not to ask. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I kinda went and did a slightly stupid thing," Remus admitted. "I hope you won't be too angry."

"What did _you do_?"

"I -" Remus took a deep breath. "I told them a part of the truth."

"It was one of the safer ways to handle it." Dumbledore came to Remus' aid. "Not the best one, but one that effectively wiped your slate clean."

"_What_ did you do?" Harry repeated once more.

"I told them it was me who changed you."

"But - you said that if the ministry would get wind of it, they would try to kill you - I remember - you said it when you came to visit me at Dursleys!" Harry was shouting heatedly. "You promised that you were going to keep it a secret."

"Unless your life was on the line." Remus added calmly. "There was a chance that Lucius could have gotten his claim approved."

Harry raised an eyebrow, still fuming. "What claim?"

"To put it simply," Dumbledore tried to explain calmly. "Lucius Malfoy tried to use an old case that was the basis of the Werewolf Code of Conduct that was approved by the Ministry in sixteen thirty seven. Its the first time the hatred against werewolves reached the laws of the Ministry. At that time, one of the Black family members was killed by a werewolf, and the public was demanding blood. It was more of a violent period that time, more barbaric that it is now, but no one ever rescinded that part of the laws - '_if a werewolf shall lay a hand on the last heir of any magical family, his life is forfeit'_. That was the first time the werewolves were held as less than an average wizard. There have been cruel and unfair laws before, but the whole Code of Conduct was actually an attempt to put werewolves in the same category as dark creatures."

"Lucius could have killed me?" Harry asked, not believing his ears. "In front of witnesses - and he would have gotten away with it?"

"Well - no." Dumbledore stroked his beard. "He would have been thrown to court, and there, he would have tried to use the defence basing it on the cases long past. It was probable that he still would have faced Azkaban, even with such a defence ready. However, he went upon it from another angle - he demanded the right to be the one to kill you."

Harry shook his head. "I remember only the screaming crowds."

"In any case," Dumbledore continued. "He might have gotten an official hearing to approve his claim, then, it would have fallen onto the Wizengamot to dispute that precedent, and then, it would have been a long game in the halls of Wizengamot for yours truly. Lucius must have know that - thus, he demanded an answer to be given directly and fast.

"In a sense, that was a perfect move for his part - it is a worrying thing to believe, but I believe that he had contact with Voldemort, as the timing was impeccable. His demand, upon the moment of crowds panicking, was measured - I was to be restraining you, and by distracting me, he hoped that I would make a mistake. Either hurting you myself, of agreeing to his terms."

Remus was looking at his boots. "And it worked - I reacted the way I did - revealing that I was behind the turning bite."

"It was not the worst that could have happened." Dumbledore gave Remus a short glance. "You do not need to concern yourself with what has already passed. My own response would have thrown the case into Wizengamot, and there, Lucius would have had a better standing - he would have demonstrated my inability to make important decisions, would have called me biased, and that, most certainly would have impacted both mine and your reputations, not mentioning the slim chance of his demand being approved.

"The rash action Remus took saved us a lot of time. There has been a fallout at Wizengamot, an emergency session on my too fast of an action, with certain parties asking for my resignation as the Chief Warlock, but the interesting way our society's politics work is that Lucius cannot afford for me to be resigned - in that case they would have to overrule the offending decision and _that _would mean that Lucius tried to use the Unforgivable Curse on Professor Lupin, before he had any sort of right to - a fact that can be easily confirmed by then Auror Alastor Moody - he inspected the wand as to what the spell was not soon after.

"Thus, if Lucius doesn't want to go Azkaban for a handful of years, he has to keep me in the post until the end of the year, at least." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled mischievously. "An arrangement he is not very happy about. Alas, the cost for us is high, too."

"There have been warrants issued for my capture on Monday," Remus spoke up with fake cheerfulness. "The hunt for Werewolf Professor Remus Lupin, with a significant prize money, offered by the Malfoy family, in addition to standard Ministry rewards. It's good to know my worth - the last figure was around two thousand galleons for taking me alive or one thousand five hundred for my corpse. A thousand below Fenrir Greyback, but he's a special case."

"Moony!" Harry grabbed him on the sleeve. "Do not joke with things like it."

"I'm just pointing out that there's a five hundred galleons prize for trying to keep me alive. It's not like I have Dementors after me." Remus winked. "And if you ever need the money..."

"Stop joking like that." Harry just grabbed the werewolf in the hug, and held for his dear life. "Don't make me lose you too."

"I won't." Remus ruffled Harry's hair. "Being hunted isn't something completely new for me."

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><p>The time isn't as forgiving as I'd like, but I managed to upload a newer version of the first chapter, the second and third chapters are currently in the works, hopefully Morta's Priest will help there too. Obviously, the 38th chapter is a priority.<p>

Happy New Year.


	38. Shaken

**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter and the Stoned Rowling.

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**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXXVIII

Shaken

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"Can Ron and Hermione come in?" Harry asked, after Dumbledore had finished yet another complicated round of spells. "I don't think it's even possible to change now, after the full moon has completely passed. Even the wolf is calmer than before. It's like he had been in control too much and he's tired."

"Yet, at the very same time-" Dumbledore sighed. "It shouldn't have been possible for you to stay a wolf for such a long time, too. Now, we must take even the improbable into account when trying to predict the future."

"I don't feel any different, if that helps," Harry added. "Just – I think I spent too much time asleep, my sides ache."

"Be patient, Harry," Remus urged. "They waited for quite some time now; they can wait another couple of minutes."

"Or we could let your friends inside now." Albus smiled. "I could not find anything out of the expected norms yet, thus, we should be able to allow ourselves a short conversation with friend before moving on to other matters. It is not like we cannot spare a moment, and friends are, of course, a matter of utmost importance." The headmaster waved at the entrance, the door opening silently, letting in the faint scents of food and parchment.

"Please do come in. Miss Granger, mister Weasley."

"Harry?" Ron and Hermione half shouted and half asked almost at the same time, rushing into the classroom. They looked tired, like they hadn't gotten much sleep, yet, at the very same time, relieved upon being asked inside.

"Hey," Harry greeted, jumping up from one of the tables, with a drop of faked merriment. "How have you been?"

"Honestly," Hermione said. "We're supposed to be the ones asking _you_."

"I don't really have much to say," Harry shrugged, his eyes clouding with pain in moments. "Voldemort attacked me with renewed power, since he, somehow, came back. He _won_, in a way, and I changed into a wolf. Dumbledore's Portkey took me and Cho here - and - I couldn't hold myself properly -" There was a dark shadow pooling in Harry's eyes, as he paused. "Dumbledore was aware of the possibility and she's uninjured. I just reverted back - don't know much else."

There was a short pause, as Ron was gaping at Harry's summary.

"She hates me now, doesn't she?" Harry asked with bitterness echoing in his voice. "I almost killed her. I don't even remember what exactly happened - it's all too messed up in my mind. Especially after these days I remained a wolf - I recall the sudden movement - the crowd running, the fear - but not much of anything since arriving here. I hope, she-" He looked up, questioningly, looking at Hermione and Ron with the tiny hint of hope in his voice. "Did she say...?"

Harry didn't finish the question, and, as the silence stretched, Ron moved forward, taking out the silvery trinket from his robes. Harry took a short breath, smelling in the faint, very faint trail of cinnamon, salt and pumpkin juice. He recognised it immediately – his left hand clenched uncontrollably and then fell down by his side, limper than before.

Ron, standing straight, yet with a face that spoke of a measure of pity and even shame, reached forward and planted the pieces into Harry's swaying hand, closing it on the bracelet. "She gave you this."

The fingers found the ornaments and cracks, felt the cool precious metal. He gripped it tightly, not caring that the sharper edges were digging into his palm, taking refuge in this small pain, even. Harry looked down, his gaze hazy. "Why...?"

"Cho asked you to stay away for a while." Hermione added, going in for a short hug. "I'm sorry," she whispered into his ear, her hair brushing at his cheek, roughly, but comfortingly.

Harry visibly slumped, glancing at Remus.

"Look, Harry," Ron started talking before Remus could say anything. He was speaking with a passion, even though he was struggling for words at times. "I know I'm not the one to talk, really, and I'm not as good with the ruddy thing as I'd like to be. But if there ever was a thing I have thought out as much as this..." He sighed. "I never have been the greatest friend, and since I heard about your state, well, I can only imagine what you are going through.

"I mean, I don't even understand girls properly," Ron exclaimed, making Harry's lips twitch in a semblance of the smile. "And you had one of the best looking girls from a year above ours - I'm getting off track - what I want to say is that you should know more about witches than I do, but even I noticed that she didn't say she never wants to see you again. _Only_for a while."

Harry blinked. "That doesn't mean she will..." He began, quietly, but fell into silence once more.

"She is broken, scared to the death, even - I saw her, but I have been the same when I heard about your state first - and, to tell the truth, I'm still afraid. But I always wanted come back. She does, too – it can't be otherwise. I am afraid-" Ron gulped, and gave Remus a short look, continuing to speak his mind. "Afraid of Remus, I'm scared that you would change in the night and tear my throat off – it can't happen, not in the tower – and I keep telling myself that after every nightmare I have. But I know - I truly believe this - you will do _anything_in your power so my nightmares wouldn't come true. And I trust you - even if - You-Know-" Ron paused, gaping for word, trying to force himself to cross the boundaries of fear.

"Even if Vol-" he tried once more, differently, visibly shaking at the difficulty pronouncing the name. "If Vol-de...mort got you this one time - I don't care about _that_. You will be the one to win in the end - as you have done many times. I trust you, and I want to remain your friend. I want to help. You're my best friend - I can let you face anything alone or I can't call myself a Gryffindor."

"Ron," Hermione breathed out his name in a whisper, as Dumbledore smiled brightly at what was going on before his eyes.

"I know that you will continue to be as you were," Ron spoke up, standing straighter. "I have turned away from you - and not even once – but, I came back. Cho will - too. I know that as surely as I know that I'm not going to go running."

"But I could hurt you," Harry was talking in a low tone. "I could kill you - I always thought that I had a chance at control, but it was an illusion - and now, I'm even more dangerous than before."

"But you don't _want_me hurt, do you?" Ron smiled lightly. "As long as you keep that attitude, I don't see a problem. Just - don't take offence if I can't spend all full moons with you."

"How can you joke about that?" Harry asked, his lips twitching without him really wanting to. "It's not - wait - you said 'all full moons'? Eager to keep me company a couple of times?"

Ron laughed nervously. "Maybe?"

"I think that could be arranged." Remus joined in, smirking. "If you really want it."

Ron fidgeted nervously.

Harry laughed. It was barking sort of laughter, a thing he all but inherited from his godfather. But also, unlike the last time he had laughed this way - out of desperation and sheer disappointment – this time, it was a good laugh. Something bottled up in the form of the wolf for these long hours, when he spent every other second fearing that he wasn't going to change back, thinking about Cho, had come loose. He laughed so hard that his eyes were starting to water.

"It wasn't even that funny," Ron muttered, before getting swept with the tide.

Remus was chuckling, Hermione was grinning in between sobs, and Dumbledore - the Headmaster was just standing there, a bright smile on his face, his eyes twinkling with merriment and hope.

It took them a good five minutes to calm down, and even then, Harry continued on to smile.

"I missed you," Harry finally spoke, his gaze clearer than before. "Thank you for waiting."

"Anytime," Ron said as Hermione nodded, confirming his word. "Always."

"How is everyone?"

"Cho is rarely seen outside the classes - Marietta said that she's usually up in the Ravenclaw dorms," Hermione started, quickly moving on from the matter of Cho. "Diggory is going around talking to people that nothing was your fault, and is claiming that you should be the only champion. Krum-" She glanced at Ron, slightly blushing. "Is his usual self - but he's taking your side at whole this. I didn't tell him that you're still in the castle, but I think he suspects. We have spent the last few days in this corridor, and people must have noticed."

"Everyone is guessing, but no one knows anything," Ron said, taking over. "Bill actually chose to stay for a couple of days - until the Hogwarts Express leaves. I think he's just trying to get with Fleur and, at the same time, watching over Ginny."

"How is Ginny?" Harry asked. "I kind of expected her to be here, too."

"She was, the first day we were hoping to see you - but then she decided not to come too soon," Hermione said, sighing. "Not to _g__et in the way_, whatever that means. She was spending today with Bill, I think."

"What about Hagrid?"

"We've visited him once," Ron answered. "He's talking about something to do for the Headmaster, but-" Ron looked questioningly at Dumbledore. "He's not telling."

"Ah, I would trust Hagrid with my life, but he still speaks only as his huge heart allows." Dumbledore smiled comfortingly. "Do not pester him for information too much, he knows not where he is going to go yet, only that he will."

"What do you want him to do, sir?" Harry asked. "If you can tell us?"

"Let's just say that I'm having a hard time convincing Fudge to act. He is bent on the current _issue_, and can't see the full picture. A remarkable move on the part of Voldemort, putting everyone's attention on Harry Potter and werewolves."

Harry pondered for a moment. "You want to fight Voldemort, but Fudge doesn't believe he's back?"

"We do lack any viable proof." Dumbledore nodded. "The fallout at the Ministry is rather huge, same as inside out society as a whole. Some wizards are calling for death of all Werewolves, others are speaking about reducing the restrictions and trying to integrate them in the society better. A precious few, but your name still carries a lot of weight. Malfoy is fighting to discredit it as much as he can - you're probably going to see more of the bad press in the coming months, but it hasn't really started yet."

"Whatever happened with Rita?" Hermione suddenly asked. "Harry told as how you caught her, but I haven't seen one word about her since."

"Ah, this brings us to one of the questions I wanted to ask you today, Harry," Dumbledore said, walking a step closer. "It is something you'll probably hate, but at the same time, something that might give us the small edge we need. For this, one of the first battles of the Second Wizarding war, is not going to be about the power of magic, nor skill in duelling, but one of the public opinion."

"Just tell me what to do, sir."

Dumbledore had a short shadow cloud his eyes. "I am not expecting obedience out of you, Harry - you have earned the right of your own say in these matters, and I wouldn't like you to give it away to an old fool such as I too fast. Nevertheless, I hope that you will agree to give an interview."

"To Rita?" Harry asked, outraged. "Why?"

"No, no - Rita Skeeter will be joining my efforts with the press, but I would be foolish to offer you to speak with someone who can twist out words without recognition."

"She's doing what?" Harry exclaimed. "You're letting her write articles as if nothing had happened?"

Dumbledore shrugged dismissively. "She was always the one to go after people, and who can be better at undermining Peter Pettigrew and Barty Crouch Junior? I loathe using her like this, but she has sworn to not write a single article about you. This, in more ways than one, is a chance for her redemption, and I hope it will help to turn the coming tide of Lucius smear campaign."

"I don't know if I agree with your method..." Harry finally started to calm down. "But I understand what you are trying to achieve. I will agree to do an interview, if you believe that it will help for us."

"Good, I will inform you of the details at a later date - we have a few things we must do when the school year ends - and maybe even more, should you agree to help me with other endeavours." Dumbledore scratched his beard, turning towards Ron and Hermione. "Although, at this moment in time, I feel confident asking Harry for assistance, I cannot make such an exception for you two, as your parents will, most definitely, object."

"But we want to help!" Ron shouted loudly. "This is Harry who are we talking about!"

"What if our parents let us, would you reconsider, sir?" Hermione prodded carefully. "Maybe there can be a compromise?"

"I will bear that in mind," Dumbledore nodded. "In fact, in a couple of weeks, I might have a need for the assistance of the whole Weasley household. There is a house, Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, a house that has served for the Black family for ages, and one Sirius had been hiding in before his demise. It was on my suggestion that he had moved there at the start of this school year - and although the house has been protected by various protections and charms, it's greatest asset is the Fidelius Charm that I had added this year, to ensure Sirius' safety in between your meetings."

"It never was a place Sirius would like being cooped up in, but it must have been a perfect choice to keep him safe," Remus supplied. "I had forgotten about it entirely."

"That is the governing principle of the Fidelius Charm - the place is hidden so well, that even those who knew about it, tend to forget about its existence, or, about the place where it is at," Dumbledore explained. "The problem is that in his will, Sirius left the house to Remus Lupin, who, by the latest anti-werewolf laws can't be the first pretender, because there is another magical benefactor mentioned in the will. In any other circumstances the house would probably have been given to Harry right away, but now..."

"Everyone knows that I'm a werewolf, too. I understand." Harry nodded. "But do I really need the house?"

"The Order needs a place for the meetings," Dumbledore said. "And it is conveniently very well protected, and, at the very same time near the vital places of interest in London. The King's Cross station, The Ministry of Magic and St. Mungo's Hospital - all these three palaces are important for the wizarding community. These are the sites the Order will be helping protect and having Headquarters in London would increase our mobility and prove a safe haven to retreat to in case of trouble."

"But who will get the house? Tonks?" Harry scratched his head. "If I can't inherit?"

"But you can."

"I don't understand, you've just said that Remus can't inherit, but I can?" Harry blinked. "What do you mean?"

"The laws restricting werewolf rights only apply to old family houses, and as always, are biased towards the last members of a wizarding family. It is a tangle of laws and rules, but I am positive that we can see it through. After all, there's the fact that the will must have been implemented at time of Sirius death. And the only delay has been Narcissa Malfoy - claiming her own share of inheritance."

"Malfoys," Harry spat, his voice heavy. "Always _Malfoys_."

"Indeed. This time, however, the last clause of the will in question plays a very significant part in the equation - Sirius explicitly forbade anything from being inherited by a Black. There might be some problems for young Nymphadora Tons because of it, even. However, her mother hasn't been a Black since her marriage with Ted Tonks, and that issue takes care of itself."

"What about _Pettigrew_?" Remus interjected. "He has been proven alive - by Bartemius Crouch. Can he inherit his share?"

"Regrettably, yes. Although, not the house - the Grimmauld Place should only be inherited by either one of the two of you, most probably Harry - as I tried to explain before - the time the will was opened is considered a date of reference, thus Harry doesn't even count as a werewolf in face of the will. It should be a trivial matter to prove that. What is significantly more difficult, is trying to distinguish if a house could even be inherited by a non-Black. And there's no good way to check it before the house officially belongs to you - if there is, we are going to need the services of Bill Weasley - to make the house usable for us.

"This will be one of our aims for the summer. Harry, I will have to ask you to return to Dursleys for a time, but before the next full moon comes you will move into Grimmauld Place - at least that is the course of action I would like to take."

"I'll be transforming there?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"Why not Hogwarts?"

"The Ministry believe that I might be harbouring a dangerous fugitive werewolf, and they will be conducting a throughout search, and I will provide them all the cooperation I can regarding that matter. Your potential placement at Grimmauld Place during the full moon allows myself more freedom of movement. Also, it's the only place I'd consider safer than Privet Drive. Well, except the castle itself - especially under heavy wards that will be activated during the summer."

"Heavy wards?" Hermione asked, interested. "Hogwarts the History doesn't mention anything about them."

"It's not something that is often mentioned." Dumbledore waved it off. "During tense years, and especially during the last wizarding war, the castle was considered to be a safest place in whole British Isles. Before, catching individual troublemakers have been a daunting task, but anyone who wishes to intrude with force is going to run into the Founder's magic.

"And not only that - every Headmaster is known to have added something of his own - these protections, woven into the very stones of the place, coupled with the convenient fear the Dark Lord has for confronting yours truly, makes up for a guarantee that there will be no direct assault of Hogwarts while I reside over the school. Thus, it's the safest place to be in during wartime, but, as you three know, not the best one for hiding Philosopher's Stones." Dumbledore winked at them as the three Gryffindors laughed lightly.

"Albus," Lupin began after a short pause. "Forgive me for speaking about this so soon, but you mentioned more things we could help you with. Hagrid is going to go and try to see the Giants, isn't he? The mission he doesn't yet know about – it's the only thing that's probable."

The Headmaster hmmed.

"Severus is spying on the Death Eaters, like he did before," Lupin continued. "And I, well, you would like me to try and talk to a couple of werewolves I know?"

Hermione gasped.

"The werewolves have never been organised in the way to take a stand on any side, but every single one that would refuse join Fenrir Greyback would be an asset," Dumbledore said. "It would be a sensible course of action. We are going to talk more on the next meeting of the Order. Of course, I should not need to say, but," he added looking at Ron and Hermione. "Everything you have heard here is a secret."

"I want to help." Harry crossed his arms. "It is as much of my fight as it is yours - and if Remus will go speak with other werewolves, can I join him?"

"I can promise you only this - I will take your opinion in mind during the meeting." Dumbledore sighed. "I would not want you to take risks so needlessly."

"But Moony-"

"Harry," Dumbledore interrupted him. "If you want to be in the Order, I will need you to stop questioning everything outside the actual meeting. There is a reason why some decisions are discussed only during the gatherings - in a war, everyone has to be as careful as possible. If you're going to try and push too much, I might reconsider letting you join this early. I should not need to tell you this, but in the Order, people are constantly put to danger, and not taking it as seriously as it deserves to be taken could be fatal."

"I don't want to be in the Order if that means I'm not going to do anything." Harry muttered, and continued louder. "But I understand what you want to say, sir. Or at least, I think I do."

"Good." Dumbledore concluded. "Now, as we have spent quite a while talking already, I believe we should move on with a couple of more tests."

Harry groaned.

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><p>This chapter turned out harder to put in words than what I saw it in my mind. Next up, more drama.<p> 


	39. Enraged

**Disclaimer**: Name Surname and the Title Subtitle.

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**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XXXIX

Enraged

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The Hogwarts Express chimed loudly. The bundles of students were rushing to get inside, eager to return home and see their families. It was the usual mess where young children were involved – although on a closer look one would notice a degree of seriousness and shock, mixed into all that carelessness.

Albus Dumbledore had chosen to speak to everyone during the Leaving Feast. There, he proclaimed that Lord Voldemort had returned – and this, simple and short statement had touched everyone. You could say anything about the Headmaster, but he was not known for joking about such serious matters. That alone had scared most of the students.

There were whispers about the final task, same as ever, yet, everyone had started to think – the train ride was be a perfect place to discuss the latest piece of the puzzle that the Headmaster had offered.

Harry Potter, together with Ron and Hermione, was trying to climb into the train with as little fuss as possible. He had debated on using the invisibility cloak, but changed his mind. He had to face everything rather sooner than later, and did not want to have an even harder time after the summer. It would do him good to be spotted on the train - had been general consensus of the Trio.

This way, everyone would know that his friends were still with him, and they cared not about his condition. that didn't mean that Harry did not want to wrap himself in the cloak and hide until the next term.

If he even was allowed to return – had been a stray thought – he remembered that there were tremendous restrictions upon werewolf education. Even if Dumbledore would try his utmost to keep him in the school, Harry still feared the worst – it would be just his luck.

They climbed into one of the back portions of the train, without anyone being the wiser. Harry even smiled contently to himself – Dumbledore had given students Voldemort to speak off – that took some attention from his werewolf problems – that and the fact that the initial phase of fear had already been over. He had been sighted all over the castle these past couple of days - and only a tiny part of the rumours were true - yet, everyone already knew that he was already up and running. And, they were going out of their way to not get into his sight.

Inside, a couple of younger years parted to let them pass and soon thereafter, shuffled closer to gossip between themselves. It seemed that they were interested in his expression and the way of walking. Harry just couldn't understand what they wanted to see - it was quite annoying.

"I hope he doesn't return next year."

Harry glanced forward – there, Seamus Finnigan had left the door to his compartment only half-closed. A quick sniff of the air revealed that Dean was there too.

"What do you think?" Seamus asked silently. "We can't be safe if we're sleeping in the same room, can we?"

Harry sighed. He was already imagining what would have happened after the last full moon, he had spent any nights instead of a hospital wing. It probably would have been even worse. He shook his head. It would not do him good to be dwelling on this.

Dean did not answer out loud – judging from the faint clues in the scent, he was sketching something in his Muggle notebook. Harry guessed that there was some sort of nod in agreement, because Saemus continued as if he had heard a confirmation.

"You think we could go to McGonagall and have him moved, if he does come back?"

Harry felt his wolf shifting in anger. He clutched his hands into firsts.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, as he stomped forward with heavy steps.

But he didn't stop to answer and slammed the door of the compartment completely open.

Seamus jumped back, turning to face the angry Harry Potter standing in the doorway. Seamus whitened like a ghost, his mouth opening awkwardly, and his hands twitching uncontrollably.

"Hello, Seamus," Harry drawled the boy's name. "Sorry, I thought this was empty," his voice was telling a completely different story, though. "I'll be going then."

Seamus twitched backwards almost falling on his back, letting out a startled squeak.

Harry shook his head and turned away. Then, closing the door behind him, he turned to look back. "And Seamus, I could hear you miles away. Good luck." Harry's gaze travelled though the terrified expression of Seamus and found Dean Thomas for the briefest of seconds. He nodded at the other boy as an afterthought at the very last moment.

The door closed. Harry heard someone slumping on the ground – probably Seamus' legs had given out.

"What was all that about?" Ron asked, placing his hand on Harry shoulder, as they were moving along, looking for an empty compartment of their own.

Harry turned to Ron and ground his teeth. To Ron's credit, he didn't recoil back, although Harry could see that his friend wanted to.

"He was talking about me," Harry allowed, his features softening a little. "I thought that since it all came out for everyone to know, people wouldn't whisper between themselves where I can hear them."

He hit the wall once, then again.

"Harry," Hermione cautioned. "You need to calm down."

"Fine," he glowered then shook his head. "I know, it's just – for the first time they are gossiping about me with the knowledge that I could hear them – it's incredibly irritating."

"You can't cure Hogwarts gossiping even if they would fully understand that – and they don't." Hermione sighed. "People are harsh, but they're just people, in the end. It doesn't matter what they think."

Harry sighed.

"Besides, there's going to be no whispers for a while now," Ron smiled. "And they will have the whole summer to talk it out – they will get bored pretty soon."

"You think so?"

"Yeah," Ron confirmed. "You can't talk about one thing for too long. Except Quidditch."

Harry dragged his hand on the wall, as he was walking along the hallway. "There's an empty compartment this way," he said, sniffing the air.

There were many scents there – the train carried a certain aroma of cleanness and tidiness, and, of course, the Hogwarts students were bringing in their own ensemble of smells. Anything from apples to pumpkins, there were traces of salt and... cinnamon. Harry stopped suddenly.

"This one?" Ron asked, not knowing the true reason behind Harry's stopping.

Harry, struck by a moment of indecision, didn't even try to stop Ron from opening the compartment door.

There, alone, sat Cho. Resting on her lap, there was a book, but she didn't look like she was reading very intently – the dark book was turned upside down, the name of the tome turned away from them, and she had been looking though the window, waiting for the train to start moving.

"It's taken," she said in sad voice, turning towards the entrance. She froze.

Ron jumped back, mumbling an apology, but she did not listen.

Her eyes were on Harry, same as Harry's were on her.

He took a step forward, his expression pleading, but he was silent.

Harry's mind felt empty – he was trying to think of what to say, what to do, but it was coming up blank. "Cho," he finally mumbled.

There were tears in her eyes as she stood up quickly, the book falling on the cabins' floor with a quiet thump. Cho turned and grabbed her trunk with both hands and dragged it outside with some forced speed.

Harry stepped back to allow her through, her salty scent assailing him. Her hair almost brushed his hand and he barely held himself from grabbing her into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Harry," she whispered between the quiet sobs, as she squeezed past him, the trunk dragged heavily behind her. "You can take the compartment, I'll go find another one."

And she left him standing there, mouth open, a hand half-raised towards her.

People had seen the display – a whole lot of them - since Cho's trunk caused quite a lot of noise, and the majority of students were currently all looking for their own cabins to sit in, meaning the commotion in the corridors was only ever rising.

Harry thought he had noticed Ginny in the far end of their wagon, amidst the people staring at him. However, Ron and Hermione dragged him inside the compartment without him being sure about it.

He looked around – the scent inside belonged solely for Cho, meaning that she had brought her trunk here alone, and either no one offered their help or she had declined it.

"Harry?" Ron asked carefully "I didn't think..."

"It's fine," Harry shrugged, sighing heavily. "Just – let's just-"

"She left her book," Hermione picked up the small tome. "_Achievements in Charming_?" she read out loud, frowning.

"It's for the Charms O.W.L. – Cho said that it was both good for revision and interestingly written – that's why she had bought a copy," Harry explained automatically, then, he reached out for it. "Give it here, I'll catch up and return it to her."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Hermione asked, not releasing the book. "I could go and do it instead, if you want."

"No." Harry shook his head. "I'd like to speak with her."

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Ron asked. "Not that I'm an expert or anything, but she didn't look like she wanted to, you know, speak back?"

"She could at least say it to my face," Harry muttered, snatching the book from Hermione. "I'll be right back."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He should have taken the cloak, Harry mused to himself. It was proving a more difficult task than he imagined – first, Cho had managed to travel some distance ahead of hims, and he had to speed up to catch up, and even then, she was already in yet another compartment in a whole different train section.

Second of all, as he was moving though the students, it invariably brought their gazes to him. People tried to get out of his way, but they usually stumbled upon each other, getting in the way a lot more than if they simply had chosen to ignore him.

He had to suppress the growling, which threatened to escape every now and then.

Even worse was Cedric Diggory – the Hufflepuff deliberately stepped into Harry's way and offered a hand. Harry shook it half-heartedly.

"If you need anything, just say so." Cedric did not leave it at a simple handshake. "I'd offer you all of my winnings, but-"

"I don't need the money, Cedric," Harry waved it off. "Honestly, I have enough money as is."

"I knew you would say that. If you ever change your mind, I owe you a thousand Galleons." Cedric smiled. "You should have been in Hufflepuff."

Harry could only blink at the unexpected statement.

"Look, Cedric, thanks, but you're the one who won. And I really have to go now," he said a bit rudely, and then, after a moment of thought, added in a more pleasant tone, "I'm sorry – I really I appreciate what you are doing for me, and I'm glad that you don't buy into the whole werewolf hate thing, but I'm really as dangerous as they say."

"I know how you are, and I don't believe it." Cedric shook his head. "You're just too much of a Hufflepuff to be dangerous."

Harry laughed at the sincerity in Cedric's voice. "If you say so."

"See," the Hufflepuff let out a short laugh himself. "I won't be holding you any more, but if you really need anything – send me an owl or Floo by, alright?"

"No promises," Harry shouted back as he finally escaped the clutches of the friendly Champion.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry took a second to straighten himself as the train started moving. The loud chime signified, that yes, his year at Hogwarts was rapidly coming to an end. And he still was wandering through the train, looking for Cho – he had been tricked a couple of times by the scents of the student mass, and it was already taking a lot longer than he figured it would.

He shook away the thought and sniffed the air, continuing the search. There – he smiled faintly to himself – how did he miss it? There was someone else there, though, standing in the doorway, behind partially closed doors, speaking quietly with Cho. The scent and the glimpse of the bright red hair revealed that it was Ginny. Harry did a double take – did Ginny ever talk to Cho beside a casual greeting?

It appeared that they were in a midst of some hushed conversation. Harry sighed, not wanting to interrupt, and double backed a little, standing unobtrusively at the edge of the corridor, far away from the girls that the conversation would have been inaudible, had he not been a werewolf.

The constant stream of noise the train was making was obscuring it somewhat, though. Harry tried to find something interesting in the ceiling, the back of his head resting at the wall.

"...Harry?" He heard Ginny saying his name and couldn't help but start listening.

"I know he did not mean it," Cho replied a bit harshly. "But you can't imagine anyone trying to kill you."

"I can," Ginny said angrily. "But we're not talking about that – I know Harry is beating himself because he believes that it was his fault."

"It- wasn't," Cho did not sound too convinced. "It wasn't," she repeated with a lot more conviction, sending shivers down Harry's spine. "I know it was not him."

"Why did you not tell him that?"

Harry did not hear Cho reply.

"Why do you leave him to be miserable?" Ginny was pressing on. "When he would do anything for you?"

"Do you think that this would help me somehow?" Cho asked coldly. "Please leave."

"I'm saying that you had the trust of the best one of us, and you have stepped onto it," Ginny accused. "I saw what you did today. When he told you the truth about himself, you shouldn't have lied that you were fine with it."

Harry was torn between wanting to disappear and interfere on Cho's behalf.

"You don't know what you are talking about... You- You like him," Cho suddenly accused. "Is that why you wanted to come and make fun of me? So you could prove to yourself that you're somehow better? So that you could feel better?"

Ginny just started breathing heavily. Harry couldn't believe his ears.

"I don't think it matters what you think," Cho pressed on, louder. "Merlin, why don't you just go?! You're certainly not here to help and you're making a yourself look stupid... Just – leave."

"Fine." Ginny turned around her heel and slammed the door. "Stupid," she muttered under her breath, and turned to walk away. "Stupid."

"_Colloportus_," Cho cast a harshly pronounced spell right after Ginny left, the Charm slamming heavily into the door. There was a loud click as the door budged and stood in place, locked.

Ginny stopped in her tracks. "Harry?" she mouthed without a sound.

"What are you doing here, Ginny?" Harry asked, his teeth showing through, with barely constrained anger. "Well?"

"I- I," she stammered and tried to push past him.

Harry caught her hand.

"She- You heard?" she muttered.

"Yes," he admitted. "Is it true?"

Ginny shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes. She sniffed once and tried to fee her hand.

"Is it true?" Harry asked, trying to calm himself – he did not know what to do or say and it seemed that being angry would not work here. She likes me, he thought to himself, had she not gotten over the whole worship thing ages ago?

"I did _not_ want to feel better by accusing her," Ginny said. "I wanted – I wanted her to come back to you."

"Why?" Harry did not expect that. "Why do it?"

"Because I saw how you look at her." Ginny laughed a short, bitter laugh. "Please, let go."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I wanted to help." She tried to get way once again. "You're hurting me, Harry."

"A lot of people were hurt because of me," he said, but loosened the grip a little. "Answer me, Ginny."

"Merlin." She wiped her tears away with her left hand. "I sometimes forget how dense you can get."

This time, he let her slip. However, she did not run. Instead, she straightened herself, and placed a finger at his chest, accusingly.

"However much you'd like to be alone and unloved, there are a lot of people who care about you. Hermione," she said poking him right at the heart. "Ron, they are your first true fiends – and you know how they care – but you have more – Hagrid, Hedwig, even Dumbledore. The Twins adore you – they have yet to play a single joke of theirs on you – and that _never_ happens. There's more - a lot more than them. And we all do the things we do, because we _care_, Harry.

"I wanted to help - I saw how happy you were with Cho – and I envy her, I admit, I am even jealous – but I am not so stupid as to think that you might change your mind. You fixate on things, you hardly ever change your opinion – I can't imagine you even allowed yourself to think about other girls while you were with Cho."

"What?" Harry spluttered.

Ginny quickly raised her hand up, flicking her finger at his nose.

"You asked me," she answered irritated. "Now listen."

Harry grumbled something under his breath.

"You can't go on allowing your problems dictate your life. I know that it is hard, and it may seem that people hate you for some things you had no control over – but if you truly have no control over them, forget about it. Wizards are stupid, they are quick to blame without reason – it's just the way it is – but people do stop and think after a while. And if you are going to let them, they are going to turn back to you. Withes are exactly the same – we just don't say it as directly as you do. Cho is going to come back to you, you'll see."

Harry sighed.

"There." Ginny drew back her arm, removing a finger away from his face – where it had hovered for most of her impromptu lecture. "You are making assumptions again – stop regretting things that you have no control over. How many times do I have to say that to make it get to you?"

"I think I understand it better now," Harry allowed, yet he still frowned. "Why you behave the way you do. But why did you go and speak with Cho just now? She is hurt enough already – why did you have to hurt her even more?"

"I'm sorry," she muttered, lowering her gaze. "I make mistakes too. I'm going to apologise the first chance I get... I just thought I could talk with her and fix everything for you... somehow."

"I'm even not sure if I should be angry with you." Harry shook his head, and backed away, leaning against the wall. "Everything is just too complicated."

"All will work out after the summer," she supplied. "You'll see."

"Or it will be even worse." Harry let out a short bark of laughter. "It would be just my luck."

"I'm sorry that you think so," she whispered.

Ginny shuffled her feet a little, and finally broke the uncomfortable silence that had fallen. "I'll be going then – I promised Luna I'd meet her after the Express got moving. I'll see you later."

"Later," Harry responded, then, as if remembering something, asked, before Ginny had gotten too far. "So – you like me?"

"Don't read too much into it, Potter," she answered, shaking her head. "Have a good summer."

Harry hit his head backwards out of frustration. The walls of the Express were a bit too hard, he decided afterwards, rubbing the back of the head.

"Just one more thing to do," he muttered to himself, turning towards the door of Cho's compartment.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"You still have the book," Hermione noted, as Harry entered their compartment. "Did you forget about it?"

"She did not open the door," Harry supplied. "I knocked for ten minutes, but she probably cast something on it to keep the sounds from coming in."

"What are you going to do with the book?" Ron asked, curious.

"I'm going to return it to her later."

"Why not give it to some Ravenclaw?" Hermione asked. "You can't just keep carrying someone's book?"

"What Ravenclaw is going to listen to what I have to say?"

"Luna?" Ron supplied. "What?" he added seeing Hermione's look. "She would."

"Luna doesn't really spend time with Cho," Harry slumped at his seat. "And it's not like I can't give the book back at the station."

Harry sighed. He could still smell Cho's touch on the pages, her distinct trace of Cinnamon. If he closed his eyes, he could even imagine her laying on the side right next to him, her head rested on his lap, comfortable. His fingers would be hidden in her hair, and everything would be perfect. But there was but a simple book there. He traced a finger at the edge of the book. It proved uncomfortably sharp.

"Why is everything so complicated?" he asked no one in particular.

"Life is a complicated game," Hermione answered. "You just need to learn how to play it."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>I wrote this chapter while sick and with some temperature. I hope it is edible. I mean readable. Next update in two weeks.<p> 


	40. Ordered

**Disclamer:** I order you to order Phoenix Soup for Rowling.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XL

Ordered

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry Potter did not have as much time to look for Cho as he thought he would have. As soon as he got off the train, there was someone waiting for him.

"Wotcher, Harry," a witch with short, cotton candy pink hair called out to him.

Harry sniffed the air to verify that this was indeed Tonks. The scent was the same - and, to further solidify his belief, the Auror shifted her nose slightly straighter.

"Hello, Tonks," he replied, smiling with the edge of his lips. "What brings you here? Something to do with the department?"

"I've actually have come to snatch you." She laughed and nodded at his friends. "Say your goodbyes, we are slightly behind the schedule as is."

Harry raised his eyebrow. "Schedule?"

"Well, the only things I can say right now is that I am currently using up my leave time, so you're not under arrest." She looked around. "And it would be very good if we talked of _other _things elsewhere."

"I've got to return this, first." Harry pointed at a book on top of his trunk he had been holding all this time, and sniffed the air. "Could you spare five minutes?"

"Fine." Tonks shrugged. "Five. Don't wander off too far."

Harry nodded, scooped the book up, and rushed off.

It seemed that Cho had been one of the first to get off the train, not much unlike him and his friends. Harry darted in between a couple of Hufflepuffs, chatting away about their summer plans, jumped over a trunk getting in his way, and came

to stop quite abruptly, as he finally found Cho.

She was only a couple of paces ahead, standing straight, in a somewhat artificial pose of attention. The only one to pick her up was a middle-aged witch in rather plain, black robes.

"...have told you-" The witch stopped speaking suddenly, her gaze stopping on Harry. The already harsh expression sharpened. Harry saw the dark eyes narrowing in something that could have only been only anger, as the witch's hand darted towards her pocket.

She hadn't yet said a single word when Cho, curious as to the reason of her mother's sudden bout of silent anger, turned towards Harry herself.

Their gazes met for a millisecond.

"Harry?" Cho called, her voice ringing strange.

"Oh no," her mother began, trying to stab Harry with her eyes. "This isn't going to stand." She turned to grab Cho's hand. "I'm sorry mister Potter, but we are leaving."

There was a loud Pop of Disapparition, and Harry sighed, staring at the empty place, where Cho had just been. Then, at the book in his hand.

"I'll send Hedvig," he muttered to himself, and turned to return to Tonks, dragging his feet unhappily on the ground. Why did it have to be this difficult?

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He found Ron and Hermione waiting right next to Tonks, who, instead of answering their questions had in turn started asking them about the ride. Neither Ron nor Hermione looked very eager to participate, though, when Harry returned.

"Weren't you supposed to go and meet your families already?" Harry remarked rather sharply, but his expression softened quickly. "I meant, thanks for waiting, sorry for taking so long."

"Harry," Ron said, smiling slightly. "You still have the book."

"I know," Harry grunted, shaking his head. "She left very early."

Hermione eyed him suspiciously for a couple of seconds as Tonks was pretending not to be in a hurry.

"I, ah," Harry said glancing at Tonks and hearing her rather impatient tapping of the right foot. "I'll see both of you later, I guess," he finished awkwardly, then, he shook Ron's hand, got a very short hug from Hermione, and turned back to Tonks. "I'm all yours."

"Good," she remarked, moving his trunk closer to her. "Do you think your owl will be able to find you later, or should I Apparate her too? Although I should warn you that owls hate Apparition."

"There is no need," Harry said, opening the cage. "Hedwig is very smart. Aren't you?"

Hedwig nipped his finger and quickly flew upwards.

"Perfect," Tonks said, winked and grabbed his hand. "Now, this might feel weird, so brace yourself."

"I know-" Were the last words he could mutter, before getting snatched and squeezed through the tight tunnel of Apparition.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Where are we?" Harry asked as soon as the dizziness from the sudden Apparition faded. The open cage was lying on the ground, and his trunk was standing a few paces further. It was damp, the wind was slowly blowing the scent of the old pond hidden amidst the green bushes. There was a simple looking wooden house, with many different plants surrounding it, the roof completely covered with green leaves of bindweed. The area looked rather remote, too – he could not see any of the nearest neighbours.

"You'll see." Tonks smiled, looking somewhat tense. "I'm glad we didn't take Hedwig, was it? I barely managed to grab the cage. Don't ever tell Mad-Eye that, though. I hope we made it in time."

Harry nodded and sniffed the air while carefully looking around. The garden they were currently in stretched wide in all directions, up to the small wood in the north and the thick, high hedge surrounding everything in the distance. In short, it was green and calm. The pond was quietly bubbling as the fish were darting in the water, the little hills and stone pathways flowing seamlessly into the greenery of the gardens. Harry could appreciate the effort that went into making this place so homely.

As he expected, there were scents of people living here, rather familiar too. Probably the place where Tonk's parents lived, Harry realised. He could also recognise the faint trace of Dumbledore's presence, a very weak hint that Remus had been there some days ago, and the sickeningly harsh stink of the potions classroom. There were a few, though, that he didn't recognise.

"Don't just stand there, I'm sure they are already waiting for us." Tonks said, floating his trunk with a silent spell. "You'll be able to look around later."

When Tonks started heading towards the house on a short stone pathway towards, Harry heard someone carefully breathing beside them. No scent at all gave way as to that someone's existence, but when Harry glanced to the side, he was almost sure he had heard something invisible hold its breath.

His hand darted to his wand on that very moment. The movement brought out a lot more reaction than he expected.

Tonks noticed him drawing out his wand, and whirled around, the trunk falling on the ground with a loud crash. The invisible figure moved then, a sharp and bright light flickering into existence before Harry.

He dropped down on pure instinct at the very last second, the red light passing overhead, almost touching at his hair. He rolled to the side, before another spell would come, slamming into a small bush rather uncomfortably. At the same time some spell of Tonks' washed over the area, giving a strange yellow glow to everything, making a highlighted figure flicker into existence.

"Mad-eye!" she bellowed at the transparent yellow silhouette. "Stop this nonsense at once!"

Harry choked on his incantation and froze – the outline did highlight the wooden leg. "Professor Moody?"

The figure touched its head, and the visibility returned, flowing with a stream of colours from the head. First, the mangled mess of hair and then, the face appeared smirking, yet marred with old scars. A rather grotesque look. "Lower your wands, both of you, before you take someone's eye out."

"You would replace it with another eye in a couple of months," Tonks grumbled. "What is with this greeting, Mad-Eye? Weren't you supposed to be inside?"

"I was on the lookout."

Harry groaned as he got up, seeing the grass marks on the jeans after his show of dodging. He started nervously brushing at them, but it did not help much. The yellow glow made it look even worse.

"Why did they ever let you back from retirement?" Tonks crossed her arms, her hair darkening a few shades.

"And why didn't you notice me before the boy did?" Alastor glared at her. "Getting rusty, Auror Tonks?"

"This is my _parents' _backyard! If there's a place I can relax my guard it's _here_. Dumbledore was here when I left, too, and I knew that _you_ would be double checking everything. And it was going to be alright, until - _why_ did you attack Harry in the first place?!"

Moody grunted. "At least he was trying to _do_ something in the face of possible danger, besides complaining about difficult Apparition."

"What _danger_, Mad-Eye?! You could have just showed yourself - why didn't you?"

"He was drawing a wand on me – weren't you, boy?" Alastor nodded at Harry, only slightly irked by Tonks verbal assault.

"I was," Harry looked up from his jeans and shrugged. "I'm sorry."

"No, it is a perfect mindset you had there. What gave me away, though?" Moody chose to ignore Tonks' continued glares completely, although his magical eye was tracking her wand tip. "I was still and there can't have been any scent to pick me up, too."

Harry shrugged. "I heard you breathing."

"Hah!" Moody let out a snort. "I knew I should have used a silencing spell on top of everything. Sharp hearing you got there, lad. Mighty useful, that."

Harry saw Moody's magical eye focusing towards the house for a longer moment, and he glanced back himself. There, calmly patting at his belly with one hand, and casting a counter to Tonk's spell, stood a cheerful looking man. The yellow glow disappeared as suddenly as it had come to be.

"If you're finished, Nymphadora, Alastor – the others are already waiting. Harry," Ted Tonks spoke calmly, amusement playing in his voice. "I'm sorry that Mad-Eye is so trigger happy, but he means well. Come on in, feel yourself like home."

"Thank you," Harry said, going inside right after the man, just after scooping up Hedwig's cage.

Tonks was still grumbling under her breath; all the time when she was repairing the fracture in Harry's trunk and floating it back up towards the house.

Moody gave another look of his surroundings with the magical eye, and joined them.

The house was homely. Harry took an instant liking to it. It was simple, slightly reminding him of the Burrow, but obviously in a better condition. The wood of the walls was polished, the flowerpots green with aspidistra. The household wasn't screaming magic like the Burrow, quite the opposite, there were a handful of lamps around the house. Harry even noticed an old television set through one of the doorways.

"_Potter_." There was an unpleasant voice of Severus Snape from not far ahead. "Albus, is this what we were waiting for? You called Potter here?"

There was a round of hushed whispers in the large room from a colourful crowd that was gathered there.

The sitting room had a couple of small tables littered with steaming cups of tea. There was a large sofa with many cushions, four old looking armchairs, and a handful of simple chairs. One of the tables had a small map of the Isles, where little red pins were glowing like little jewels.

"Thank you, Severus," Dumbledore smiled at Harry from his armchair, and gestured at the empty places on the sofa, as Moody slumped on the chair right next to the entrance. "Harry, glad that you could make it, please sit down. Don't hesitate to help yourself to tea."

Harry gave back a weak smile and shuffled past a grinning Remus Lupin to sit on the sofa. Tonks squeezed to sit between him and Remus, leaving Harry next to a stately-looking witch in an emerald green shawl.

"And that makes it everyone," Dumbledore smiled. "I believe some introductions are in order. I have talked with each and every one of you, yet there might be those of you who have not had a chance to meet the others."

"Dedalus Diggle," said a man in a squeaky voice, his hands playing with a top hat. Harry quickly likened his scent to that of a recently burned match. "Not to be rude or anything, but isn't Remus Lupin a wanted criminal these days?"

Remus twitched, even though Diggle was smiling.

"If you go by the claims of Malfoy, yes," replied a tall black wizard, smirking. "Of course, while Auror Williamson is on the case, I don't believe there will too be much progress. He's rather bad at finding people. I think it will soon get reassigned to Tonks, though. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Auror," he added for the benefit of others. For Harry, his scent was composed of a mixture of metal and sweat.

"I am guilty of turning Harry Potter into a werewolf," Remus admitted. "However, I believe that my assistance will prove to be worth the bundle with the law."

"And I would like to say," Albus Dumbledore added calmly. "That Remus Lupin has my full confidence, and all the crimes the ministry is accusing him off is not of his fault. And we are getting off track already." The Headmaster turned towards his right side where Severus Snape was sitting, sending a heated glare at Remus. "Together with me, I have called Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall from Hogwarts."

Harry blinked only then having noticed the Head of his House, sitting calmly with a cup of tea in her hands - the whole atmosphere with the meeting, and the seriousness everyone displayed, had him focusing only on those that had already spoken. Now that he quickly glanced around looking for more familiar faces, he caught a wink from none other than Bill Weasley.

"Emmeline Vance," the witch right next to him spoke up, and turned at him. "It is nice to meet you, Mister Potter."

Harry nodded back, taking in the aroma of dried thyme. Then, he noticed people staring at him. He shrugged."I guess all of you have heard of me – Harry Potter, at your service," he added the last bit looking at the Headmaster.

Snape couldn't have looked more murderous if he wanted to.

"Auror Tonks." Was all the pink haired witch said, her bubblegum pink only matched by the sweet scent.

"Andromeda Tonks," a black haired witch said, nodding her head at her husband. "And this handsome wizard is Ted. We are glad to offer our home for this meeting. Please, don't hesitate to ask if you need anything else."

"Bill Weasley." Slight coolness of leather scent touched Harry with Bill's words.

"Elphias Dodge," an old wizard with the silvery hair spoke up. Harry's nose twitched - this scent reminded him of muggle medicine. "An honour to meet you all."

"Hestia Jones," said a black haired, pink-cheeked witch, smelling of old books, ink and parchment.

"Alastor Moody." The man, Harry noted, continued to remain compeletely scentless. Only an incredibly faint trail of magic could be detected around him, and that might have been from the presence of Dumbledore or the house itself.

"Sturgis Podmore," a square jawed wizard wizard with thick straw coloured hair muttered, finishing the round of introductions. He had recently drunk Firewhiskey, Harry knew from his breath. "Before I forget, Albus, I talked with Fletcher yesterday, but didn't want to invite him before you approved."

"I will speak with Mundungus," Dumbledore agreed. "Thank you for bringing him to my attention. On that matter, William, do you think your parents would be open for a short discussion this evening?"

"Of course," Bill replied. "I'm rather surprised you did not invite them already."

"Ah, but they should have enough on their hands today of all days," Dumbledore smiled gently. "I did not want to cause even more trouble. With all these children coming back home after a long term..."

McGonagall coughed.

"Ah, my apologies," Dumbledore sat straighter. "As you all know, I have called you here not just for the tea, even though Andromeda truly outdid herself this time. The news I have told you before, have been confirmed. The Dark Lord Voldemort has returned."

Harry noted that while Diggle and Sturgis flinched at the name, the others did not react to it as much, if at all.

"He has regained a corporeal body and stands ready to bring destruction and despair to all those that stand in his way. Our war has already begun, and the sides are being drawn. These events have led me to an important decision. I have chosen to renew the Order of the Phoenix - both the first and last line of defence against Voldemort and his followers.

"It was my duty to stop Voldemort since he first appeared, with the Order founded as a means to combat Voldemort and his Death Eaters directly, saving as much innocent lives as possible. At its very core, the Order is an organization operating outside the recognised ministry laws, and even though our ranks include three active duty Aurors, we will be stepping on a thin line of vigilantism."

Dumbledore sighed and paused.

"I would be lying if I could promise any one of you safety or tasks without any danger, but the reality is rather harsh. Voldemort is powerful and his followers are going to return to him fast. It is a struggle against an insidious, smart foe that adapts to any tactics we use, and one that has more direct battle experience than most of us ever had. However, I believe, that we can make a true difference.

"I have talked to each and every one of you. I have an utmost respect for your choice to come here this day, but bear in mind that I am not going to force you to participate in any way. The Order of Phoenix has already lost many a member in the last war against Voldemort. I cannot guarantee anyone's safety if you choose to follow me.

"If you do decide to stay, know this - the Order is led by me. Choosing to join, is agreeing to believe in my decisions, to follow my commands. Outside of the meetings, I expect any orders to be carried out without question, but those who have doubts or insights, I welcome you to state it openly, during any meeting of ours.

"With all this in mind, I hope you will make a right choice."

The gathered people took a long look at one another, as if waiting for someone to speak up first. Dumbledore took a step back, observing.

"Are you sure it is wise, to have an adolescent _boy _in the Order?" Snape asked slowly, with the usual sneer. However, Harry noted, the hated glare was directed not at him, but rather at Remus, as if Moony had been somehow at fault this time.

Harry narrowed his eyes, the wolf growling like a timed bomb. Dumbledore was looking at him, he realized. It was a long, evaluating look, and Harry bit down his first response. Dumbledore did not look like he was going to interfere, and that meant talking for himself.

Harry stood up. In his mind, he could see himself standing straight and proud, but he knew that it did not look one bit impressive. He wasn't very high and the Muggle clothing did not help the view of a teenager who wanted to be more than he was.

"I apologise," he started, after taking a deep breath. "I am not the hero everyone would like me to be. In truth, I would not want to be a part of any war, to never be named as the Boy-Who-Lived, nor to participate in a fight where my mistake could cost the lives of others."

Snape was glaring at him now, silent. Dumbledore was twinkling his eyes, with something that might have been pride shining through.

Harry swallowed, trying to get the dry throat to work. "I had no choice in this matter throughout my life. I did not choose for my parents to be killed. I never asked for Voldemort to decide that my death was some sort of goal for him. He did that himself - he chose for me.

"I have faced Voldemort more times than I would ever want to, and it is through his actions that I have lost many who had been close to me, have caused even more to come to harm only because that I am the Boy-Who-Lived. I would give anything to be able to protect my precious people."

He stiffened slightly, the names ringing in his head. He had seen Ron and Hermione getting injured, Remus - hunted, Cho - heartbroken, Sirius-

_No_, Harry chastised himself, he could not stay on that for too long.

"I cannot allow myself to stay on the sidelines, not when my inaction can bring further pain to someone. I am inexperienced, yes. I have no qualifications for this sort of thing. Neither vigilantism nor heroism is something I would know anything about, but I can only promise to do my best, and help in any way I can."

Harry looked around himself, seeing some of his thoughts reflected back to him in the looks everyone were giving him.

"I want to fight and _protect_. I want to be able to strike back at the Dark Lord who has destroyed so much. I want to be a part of the Order. And I might be a foolish Gryffindor for saying this, but I believe that this is the right choice. The _only _choice for me."

He slumped back down on the sofa, on the soft cushions that clashed so much with how he felt. Harsh and old, older than he ever believed he was.

"Well said," Dumbledore's voice shook him out of a daze he fell into. "I could not have put it better."

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* * *

><p>Anyway, in these two weeks, waiting for the next update, go read the Destroyer of Worlds, it got recently updated. Or, you know, there's a book in Amazon that has one story of mine between the other, even more awesome stuff - "<em>Unbowed, Unbroken, Unrelenting<em>" go, check it out now.


	41. Planned

**Disclaimer**: Rowling is a complicated game, the only winning move is to read her.

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**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XLI

Planned

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Harry took a careful sip of his tea. Many a time he caught someone sneaking a look at him. The main difference from Hogwarts, where such a look was out of curiousness and fear, here, when he met the eyes of the person in question, they would smile or nod in a silent acknowledgement.

It was certainly uplifting. The scents of everyone in the room had already etched themselves in his mind - they were allies.

Everyone, except for Snape. The Potions Master just sent an occasional glare his way, but then, he would turn back to wherever he was looking, his expression would falter and he would continued on as if Harry Potter did not exist.

The comfortable silence did not last too long, since after a short respite, the conversation picked up again. And of course, the main topic was Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

"The Dark Lord has recalled his followers," Snape was speaking from his seat, yet his voice rang as if he was standing in the Potions classroom, lecturing for a bunch of scared first year Gryffindors. "Most have returned, and those who did not were indisposed or imprisoned." There was a slight twitch in his left arm. "He was angry and blamed the Death Eaters for not searching for him sooner. The Dark Lord went as far as to mention Peter Pettigrew and Barty Crouch as important in his quest for the new body. Peter seems to have has lost an arm – no one know how and when, but he has a strange silver appendage in place of his old one. It is a spell I know nothing about. Currently, the Death Eater attention is on trying to find Karkaroff – he has betrayed too many of their number. No one has seen him yet since the last task."

"What about you?" Andromeda looked over Snape with a judging gaze lingering pointedly on his left forearm. "Why the Dark Lord hasn't killed _you_?"

"I am not here to discuss the circumstances of my position in his ranks." Snape glanced at Dumbledore. "If you do not mind, I'd like to continue."

Dumbledore hmmed.

Harry opened his mouth and closed it again. It was a good question, but even though his wolf was urging him to challenge the authority of his Potions Professor, Harry did not want to display too much rudeness in the meeting the Headmaster had arranged.

Bill did the asking for him, though. "I do mind." The eldest Weasley brother frowned, sending Snape a heated glare. "How can we be sure that we can trust you?"

"We can't," Moody grunted from his side of the room. "I do not trust him more than I trust _you_. The only one in this room that I can give my trust to is Dumbledore."

"That doesn't answer my question," Bill said and smiled at Mad-Eye, before turning back towards Snape and Dumbledore. "Professor Snape, if you could be so kind and help a dunderhead with his question?" he said with a degree of sarcasm in his voice.

Snape looked at Dumbledore, his expression impassive. The Headmaster nodded – the nod was barely noticeable, yet Harry caught it easily.

"Fine." Snape crossed his arms, not rising from his seat. "The Dark Lord believes I could be useful for him. Since Hogwarts is a place he takes great deal of interest in, he needs a spy there. I give him information on most things that happen in Hogwarts and I will relay everything that happens with Harry Potter." Snape was talking without even glancing at Harry. "If a time when the Dark Lord thinks he will win easily comes, he will expect me to act, helping to either take over Hogwarts from inside, or assassinating the Headmaster. He might possibly ask me to kill or kidnap Harry Potter, before that."

There was a discontent murmur in the room.

"However, he does not know _anything _about the Order, nor my involvement in it." Snape showed off a content smirk, ignorant to the glares people were giving to him. "And he will not hear about us from _me_."

"Good." Dumbledore coughed a few times. "We have a pair of ears privy to Voldemort's activities, an invaluable resource in these troubled times. Because of Severus dedication, we have an almost complete list of Voldemort's current Death Eaters."

Dumbledore took out a roll of parchment and touched the tip of his wand to it. He mouthed something with the eyes closed, but no sound had come out, however much Harry listened. Only a long and painful breath.

The Headmaster opened his eyes and smiled. Then, he levitated the roll onto the desk, waved his wand to move all the cups aside, and with a another quick flick, the parchment unrolled.

There were at least ten different pieces hidden in one small roll, for it took up most of the tea table. Names, moving pictures and small facts littered each and every one of them.

"Walden Macnair," Snape pointed at the first picture. The man in it was disheveled, with pain skin and black, dirty hair. The face was locked in a repeating circle of frowns. "Currently working as an Ministry's Executioner," there was a short glance thrown at Lupin, but Harry might have imagined it. "Not very skilled, but got under the radar by claiming Imperius."

"He has found a place in the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures," Dumbledore interjected. "His superiors claim that he has been a loyal and well behaved. It is likely that no investigation would take place on the anonymous tip."

Moody coughed. "And there's the fact that the bastard has no dark objects stashed somewhere for the investigators to find. Macnair is simple, he just likes to kill - not a scholar by any stretch of imagination, yet very dangerous up close and personal. We're going to have to catch him red handed for any sort of charges to stick."

Dumbledore absently scratched his bearded chin. "Walden is also likely to be sent for giants on behalf of Voldemort. He has been sent the last time, there is no reason he would not be sent again."

Moody twitched, his hand raising up, caressing the skin around his magical eye. "What have you done about the giants so far, Albus?"

"Fudge refused to send anyone." Dumbledore shrugged. "I have talked with Olympe Maxime, and she has agreed to offer her expertise on the matter. Hagrid is joining her on our sake."

Diggle frowned. "Why didn't you send more people?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I needed to send them as soon as I was able to. It was in an attempt to act faster than the Death Eaters, and Rubeus and Olympe both have been on the way for three days already. I could not allow myself a delay until this meeting, and arrangements to leave the country by more people than Rubeus alone would have drawn too much attention."

"Because sending the half-giant doesn't ask for too much attention," Sturgis muttered under his breath.

"Alright, let us say that the giants are covered." Moody tapped his fingers on the table. "Who is next?"

The picture showed a tall, blond man, with wide shoulders. His eyes were constantly darting to the sides, watchful and paranoid.

"Thorfinn Rowle," Elpias Dodge half said, half coughed. His voice sounded angry and tired. "The private dueling instructor, contracted to help Hit-Wizards in the ministry. Claimed Imperius after the First War, and has lost his former posting as an Hit-Wizard - but there has been talk about rehiring him again." Elpias took a deep breath. "He killed my son."

Hestia Jones placed a calming hand on the older wizard's shoulder.

"He killed my son before my very own eyes, and the Ministry let him walk." Dodge backed away to the furthest corner of the now uncomfortable chair and fidgeted in place.. "And he wasn't even a good duelist - he attacked my son in the cover of the night, when we were resting..."

"You have my sincere condolences," Dumbledore said calmly. "Yet, I'm sorry, but we cannot delve on the past for too long. We have had losses in the Order before, and we will have them again. We need to take heart in the fact that we are living, that we are changing the world for the better. Stopping the rising wave of darkness."

"I'm alright," Dodge wheezed out. "Please, continue."

"I believe that Rowle will get his job back," Kinsley commented. "Even though he has a record for injuring his team members due to carelessness in the combat situations, he's usually good enough on individual assignments, and the ministry, in the face of Peter and Barty being on the run are increasing the Hit-Wizard ranks." He smiled a short, sad smile. "At least they stopped posting Aurors for regular DMLE work."

"I'll go speak with Rufus," Moody grunted. "He'll be reasonable enough to ask Thicknesse to delay Rowle's appointment."

"How is Thicknesse?" Emeline asked over her steaming tea. "Is he good enough to make up for the lack of Amelia Bones?"

"No." Moody grumbled. "He's a fool."

"But, as far as we know, he's clean," Tonks pointed out, her hair a tad bit more red than usually. "Has no relation with the Death Eaters, and is a good wizard. Has been under employment of the Ministry for ages."

"He is no fit to be the Head of the Department," Moody growled. "He's one of the damn bureaucrats. Scrimgeour should have taken the job - I told him as much on our last meeting."

"How is Rufus these days?" McGonagall spoke up slowly. "I don't believe I've had many chances to speak with him after he graduated."

"That is a capital idea, Minerva." Dumbledore turned to her. "Do you think it would be difficult to arrange a short meeting? We need the Auror Office Head thinking straight, and the meeting from his old Head of the House might give him encouragement."

"He's not going to enter the Order, Albus." Moody sighed. "He's too much lawful for his own good."

Kingsley nodded, in agreement with the old Auror. Tonks shrugged.

"Nevertheless, Minerva, I'm sure that a conversation would not be amiss."

"Fine," McGonagall said. "I'll take care of it. Might even mention Rowle, if there is a chance."

Dumbledore nodded. "Let us move on, then."

And they did.

The conversation carried much in the same vein as before. The name of a Death Eater would be called - usually someone Harry had never heard before. The Death Eaters current position would be discussed, uncovering the network so deeply entwined with the Ministry that it was mind-boggling.

Although, given enough time for thought, Harry realised, it made perfect sense. The Death Eaters that avoided Azkaban must have had connections in the Ministry to begin with.

The whole meeting, so far, wasn't exactly like he imagined it would be. Harry hoped that the Order would be taking the fight to the Death Eaters, but so far, everyone were content speaking about how the influence in the Ministry could be undermined, and if any raids could be called in on a couple of families, as of an anonymous tip.

As for the relations inside the ministry, Harry tried his best, but he was not sure that he understood what exactly was going on there. It seemed that there were too many undercurrents in everyday Ministry activities.

The wolf was especially bored, and Harry found himself trying to calm his inner impatience by inhaling the sweet scent of fruit tea. The cups were always of a perfect temperature, heating or cooling the tea as needed with the help of a simple enchantment.

Of course, the basics were easy - Fudge was obviously corrupt and took money from Malfoy and a whole lot of other people. Lucius Malfoy, however, seemed to be the source of the Death Eater funding throughout the first war, and no one doubted he would reclaim the position in a matter of days.

The Ministry itself had a heavy tradition of dealing with favours of all kinds - that was a bit stranger concept for Harry to get his head round to, but in the end it made a certain sort of sense. Sometimes favours, small and large, changed hands even faster than the Galleons.

At least, Harry mused, he wasn't the only one who felt like he was over the head. Sturgis had been bored most of the time Dumbledore and Kingsley got into a deeper discussion about the Ministry. Bill was trying to follow the conversation by concentrating, but in the end, he just asked for another cup of tea and sat back, deciding to go with the flow. Tonks seemed to be especially torn, since her mother participate rather actively, but it was apparent that the Metamorphmagus was uninterested herself.

The list was finally over now, culminating with Lucius Malfoy, a man Harry knew best of all the names that had been mentioned. Political power and the incredible monetary funds had places the man firmly on the list of most important followers.

Even though the names were over, the talk carried on - mainly off the Ministry and its nearest inner workings.

"Umbridge is trying to push through another legislation on dark creatures," Kingsley said, bringing Harry back to attention. "That's why she spent the last few days negotiating with Pius Thicknesse for a better position for Hillard Hobday in the Hit-Wizard ranks. Hobday is a distant relative of Fudge, and she wants the Minister's support with her offer."

"She has been overheard talking with Nott in one of the Ministry corridors a couple of days ago," Andromeda added. "She was trying to negotiate a meeting with Malfoy through him, if I remember correctly. I do not know if she succeeded, I do not remember the details."

"She's hoping to make use of his money, since now, everyone knows that Malfoy is on a crusade against Werewolves," Remus agreed. "Is there anything we can do to stop her advance on that front?"

"Difficult, since she is slated for the Minister's Senior Undersecretary position." Dumbledore hmmed. "However, Malfoy is not going to put pressure on werewolves himself, so she is not going to get much money from him."

"No?" Remus asked incredulously. "Whyever not?"

"Not everything is about getting even," Snape said sneering. "He will support those who are against werewolves from the back rows only. Money will change hands, but he's not going to go further than, say, doubling the reward for your head. And giving money to Umbridge would send too big of a message."

"He doesn't want to spook Fenrir," Moody supplied. "Is that what you are getting at, Snape?"

"Precisely." Snape's expression returned to his impassive one. "With the general opinion swaying on the issue, the werewolves are going to feel the pressure. A lot of it. And Fenrir can offer them his way."

"To prey on muggles freely..." Remus frowned. "It's not a promise, it's madness."

"Aye," Dodge interjected. "Yet you know that he manages to collect his recruits from somewhere."

"He's using Muggles," Remus said with a dejected tone. "He bites them and when they change, he explains that the new werewolf is now a monster, that they are hunted, and that the only true way to live is killing. Such werewolf is scared - he won't go to DMLE. Hell, he doesn't even know that there is a Ministry, that is supposed to be responsible for him. And if he breaks the Statute of Secrecy by preying on muggles and leaving witnesses, the Hit-Wizards are sent after him."

"And Greyback is proven right then, in a sense," Dodge nodded. "The Muggle werewolves are always hunted. And if the Hit-Wizards know that he has killed, they're not going to bother explaining our world to him. If such a werewolf is lucky, they're going to throw him in Azkaban and not kill him on the spot."

"Is there anything we could do?" Harry spoke up as he got fed up of watching from the sidelines. "Offering wolfsbane and talking to them - even as simply as explaining what happened? If we can offer them a change where they are in control, won't they listen to us?"

"Do you even know how hard to make is that potion?" Snape threw a harsh look Harry's way, deliberately not looking Harry directly in the eyes. "I had enough trouble brewing for _one_."

"I could pay for it," Harry scratched the back of his head. "I'm not sure how much my vault is worth, but if it means helping others like myself, I'm not going to count the costs."

"I do not want your money." Snape clenched his fists. "I'm not brewing more - it's too time consuming as it is."

"But," Eveline said carefully. "Severus, the idea has merit. You don't have to be the one brewing it - just help us find a suitable specialist for such an order. Helping werewolves this way couldn't do us any harm."

"Someone else might prove incompetent." Snape sneered at no one in particular.

"Good," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling merrily. "We will try to use the essence from this idea, if there are sufficient funds available without causing too much inconvenience for Harry. Yet, on the subject of werewolves, there are two more things I would like to talk to you about."

Harry felt like everyone's eyes turned to him, including the Headmaster.

"First, I believe that contacting Amos Diggory could prove helpful. He has always been in a good standing with the Ministry workers, and even when he has never been vocal on the dark creatures front... He is not a bad man. Amos has only one flaw - he likes to live through his son to a certain degree. For us, that is actually an advantage. He could be convinced to take up the stance that his son is taking. And it could become a cause he believes in, because Mr. Diggory knows what is right."

"You want me to talk to Cedric?" Harry asked, grasping the meaning of the Headmaster's words. "Since he was very vocal that I should have been given half of the winnings for the Triwizard cup?"

"Yes, Harry," Dumbledore smiled at him. "I was going to ask Arthur Weasley to speak with Amos, but before that, maybe you could find time write for Cedric Diggory? If Amos is reminded that his son is friends with Harry Potter, if he hears about the injustice in his home more often... He is not a man with an iron heart. He will understand, even though I am reluctant to play on his feelings so much."

Harry tapped his fingers on the pleasantly warm cup. "Of course, I'll write Cedric as soon as I can."

"Good," Dumbledore agreed. "I am sorry that we want to make use of your fame, yet it is a tool we cannot chose to ignore with such circumstances."

There was a pause.

"In that vein, Harry, a second proposed course of action." Dumbledore looked content. "After the meeting I hope you would be able to bear with my company for a small while longer. We need some press for werewolf rights, and you'd be a great help with that."

Harry could almost feel the intense measuring gaze that Dumbledore held on him. His wolf stirred, impatiently.

"We need some better press, both for werewolves and raising awareness about Voldemort's return. Harry, we talked about this, would you be amenable for an interview today?"

"Today?" Harry echoed. "Isn't that a bit too soon?"

"We need to press the curiosity of the people. Their children just returned from Hogwarts, shedding even more light onto events of the third task, yet they do not know the full truth yet."

McGonagall turned to Albus. "You said that when they were leaving just that it would be the first thing they ask their parents about when they return?"

"It was partially because of it, yes."

Dumbledore took a short drink from his cup. "Simply marvelous, Andromeda," he commented, allowing himself a few more sips. Everyone were patiently waiting for him to continue.

The Headmaster floated the empty cup back onto the table with a lazy flick of his fingers. "There have been strange events going on, and the average wizard might be content listening to the ministry's policy... Yet, people are ask questions. And when enough puzzles go unanswered, the society as a whole becomes too restless, bent on finding out the answers, they open their minds and start to think.

"Before, the Ministry had Sirius Black to blame for all the disappearances, yet he was proved innocent. Peter Pettigrew, presumed dead is alive and on the run from Aurors. Barty Crouch Junior is a sensational riddle, that no amount of paperwork can push under the rug. People are starting to search for alternate answers - if the Ministry was wrong about this, maybe it was wrong about everything else? The disappearance of Amelia Bones...

"She has been murdered by You-Know-Who." Snape spoke up, as Dumbledore paused. "If that was not obvious for already, the Dark Lord has claimed the kill himself."

"Thank you, Severus," Dumbledore said with a short sigh. "She has been killed, yes, and people are afraid. Bertha Jorkins was the first riddle, the successful attack on Alastor Moody - the second. The Imperiused Barty Crouch senior - a third. Amelia Bones is the riddle that made people stir.

"We need an opinion, voiced by someone the public could trust unconditionally. I have been vocal about my beliefs already and Fudge was set against it. The average Wizard does not know who to believe - and old, senile fool, or a trustworthy, still popular Minister of Magic.

"As of today we need to take action even more actively. Harry, I'm going to need you to speak to the press for us."

"About Voldemort, sir?"

"Precisely." Albus floated himself another cup of steaming stirring tea and took a short sip, visibly pleased with the taste. "Mind, that we do not need you to antagonize Fudge too much. Just to raise questions, don't claim that Voldemort is back before you have talked about the issue for a bit..."

"But he is." Harry frowned. "You want me to lie?"

"No. I want you to warn people, not say something that they might not believe at first. The fact that Voldemort attacked you during the third task is true, but we cannot prove it with any sort of evidence. The only witness is you, and you are a werewolf. Yet, you are the Boy-Who-Lived, too.

"The people of the isles bear a certain sort of admiration for you public image, and this time, if you speak up, if you point at the deaths, remind them what you lost yourself... If you speak to them about what you realized and not what you want them to believe - you can tell them that Voldemort is back, only then. And they will trust you."

"Won't they make it into the headline anyway?" Diggle asked. "_The Boy-Who-Lived claims that You-Know-Who is alive_?"

"That might be true, yet this article will be a stricter interview, and it should lead people to the revelation step by step. They will pick the newspaper because of the title, but they will be forced to think, to fear and question as they read more."

"Are you sure he will write as you want him to?" Remus Lupin asked. "If the interview is misshapen, thing might get worse."

"She," Dumbledore smiled.

Harry crossed his fingers. _Not Rita, not Rita_. Dumbledore had promised but Harry has learned to expect the worst from his life.

"You might know her, a young witch that goes by Daisy Hookum, one who wrote that little lovely book _My life as a Muggle_."

"Alright," Harry nodded. "I'll do it."

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><p>I am trying to cope with everything, but it's an uphill battle. Anyway, in the two weeks till the next update, you can check out the Naruto story that Roarian kinda made me write. Well, more or less nudged to start,<em> Steal My Thunder God<em>. The people seem to like it.


	42. Questioned

**Disclaimer**: What is the answer to life, universe and Rowling?

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><p>\vvvv\/

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**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XLII

Questioned

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Harry sighed, his hand absently swaying at the side of the couch. There, sprawled on the ground in a relaxed pose, was a wolf. As Harry's hand was swinging back and forth, he could almost feel the soft touch of the fur at his fingertips.

The television was on, showing some mindless commercials, as Harry was looking through the windows, debating whether to go outside or stay.

The wolf was an enigma. After the long full moon change, it had faded slightly further away, as if content with a few days of rest. Now, however, he had returned, and ever cleared than before.

Harry always saw it nearby, walking at his side, sleeping under his bed, watching every movement in the vicinity, growling at the passing Dursleys.

He did not know how to feel about that. Harry sighed. It had been easier than the wolf was a complete adversary. As it was now, the wolf had helped against Voldemort, yet it completely took control during the full moon. If that wasn't enough, he had attacked Cho on pure instinct.

Harry grasped the thick fur between his fingers. He shifted to look - the feeling was gone in a heartbeat, yet the spectre of the wolf was still there. Watching him back.

"You don't care that you hurt someone that was dear to me?" Harry muttered under his breath.

The black wolf placed his muzzle on the ground, and put a paw over it.

Harry blinked.

The wolf was matching and following his gaze, the whole pose showcasing a moment of regret and sadness. Then, as if having said everything there was to the matter, he shifted again, sprawling lazily on the ground, turning towards the kitchen.

"A cursed part of my soul..." Harry mouthed inaudibly. "You did not want to hurt her - only because I didn't. It was Voldemort."

The movement drew his gaze momentarily - any movements did, these days. It was Petunia, passing by, bringing some snacks for the Dudley from the kitchen. She glared suspiciously at Harry, focusing on his face, then glanced at the empty space on the carpet he had been looking at, and huffed. And she was off.

It had been but a single day since he returned to the Dursleys, and his Aunt was yet to say more than three words to him. Of course, since he arrived together with both Professor Moody and Tonks, the Dursleys must have been scared rather thoroughly.

He sighed once more. Harry did not know what do with the boredom hanging over him. There seemed to be too little space in the house for him. He wanted to go outside and run somewhere, anywhere from that clean boredom that reigned in the number four, Privet Drive. Of course, Dumbledore had advised not stray too far from the house, but he was almost prone to ignoring that request. The Dursleys were obviously uncomfortable with him being in the house, but they seemed to fear Moody even more, so they let him do whatever he wanted. At least, so far.

Harry took a deep breath and froze. Bubble gum? Dudley almost never chewed it - he was too set on devouring things whole, and neither Petunia, nor Vernorn would lower themselves to indulge in such a simple pleasure of life.

That meant it was coming from outside. He sniffed the air a few more times, and smiled faintly to himself.

"Alright." Harry stood up, the wolf jumping to his side like an invisible bodyguard should. "I'm going outside for a bit," he announced for the benefit of the Dursleys, and heard Dudley letting out a relieved breath.

He did not look back, just went straight for the door, opened them and stepped outside. The way to the street was empty, and he started looking around, carefully moving forward.

The stones of the paved walkway outside were slightly too warm, the sun having heated them a throughout the day. The wind that tickled his feet as soon as he was outside, was perfectly cool, though.

He took a few more steps, stepping onto the grass and walking next to a bigger bush. The grass blades touching on his bare feet felt relaxing. He took another breath and grinned.

Then, Harry flopped down, sitting rather clumsily on the ground. "Evening, Tonks."

There was a sigh from before him. "You're not going to tell Moody I forgot the scent."

"No."

"Wotcher, Harry, then."

Harry tore out a stray strand of grass and started playing with it between his fingers. It was a beautiful day - and it could have been better still, if there wasn't a distinct stink of gasoline hanging over his head, or if he had Cho for company. "I don't understand why you are doing this."

The nearby branch moved, and Harry saw the flutter of an Invisibility Cloak nearby. The grass bent almost noticeably as Tonks sat down next to him.

"Dumbledore said it at the end of the meeting," she whispered to him. "We need to be sure that you're safe here."

Harry shrugged. "Why can't I be assigned to this guard duty?"

That called out a quiet chuckle from Tonks. "You can't use magic to defend yourself - I think you'll be safer with one of us around."

Harry sniffed the air again. "I can smell anything that is out of place in the whole neighbourhood. If someone comes, I'll be the first one to know."

"Unless they hide their scent," the invisible Tonks replied. "You did not notice Moody at my parent's house until it was too late."

Harry shrugged. "Do you think it is important, watching me and the Dursleys?"

"Its like training for me. Boredom is the real danger, though. All these houses look completely the same. And they look too tidy. And boring."

"And it let's you feel like you're doing something for the Order," Harry guessed, shrugging. "I expected to see more action."

"I'm a new member myself," Tonks drew out the words, speaking slowly. From the marks on the ground, and the tiny movements of the Cloak, Harry guessed that she was sitting with her arms around her legs, the chin rested on her own knees, turned to face him. "Moody has been with the Order since the beginning, and I think he had lost his eye during one of the Order's skirmishes with the Death Eaters."

Harry felt her shuddering. "I just think we should be bringing the fight to them."

"It's a good thing that we don't see much action." Tonks continued after a short pause. "The less we fight, the less we will lose. And you can't just go and attack someone because we know he is a Death Eater. You know, the laws are there for a reason."

"Maybe," Harry allowed and dropped backwards, sprawling completely flat on the ground. The evening sun was shining through the sparse clouds right into his face. He closed his eyes.

"Hey," she nudged him in the side wit her leg. "Don't start a conversation and go to sleep. Besides, you're going to catch a cold if you continue like this."

"I won't," Harry muttered stubbornly. "It's warm enough."

"Fine," she chuckled quietly.

After a minute of silence, as Harry had almost started to doze off, she spoke up again. "Do you think it was important, that interview?"

He sat back up, blinking a few times. "Didn't your mother tell you everything already?"

"I had work in the early morning and this patrol afterwards." Tonks said with an annoyed tone. "There wasn't much time to talk about your interview and I left before Daisy even showed up."

"Well," Harry drew out the word twice as long as it should have been. "It was really strange."

"How so?"

"Hookum, she was kinda weird at first, held a distance" Harry admitted. "And I always kept wondering what to answer her questions with." He shrugged. "If it wasn't for your mother, I would have probably made a complete fool of myself, too."

"Oh?"

"She asked about Sirius, and I got upset and couldn't answer properly... Then, Andromeda piped in, offered a refill for the tea, and asked Hookum if she remembered Sirius."

"And?"

"It turns out that she did." Harry smiled at that. "She was a couple years younger in Hogwarts, but she knew that Sirius was always up to something, for a prank or a joke. As she told it, they only really talked once or twice outside Hogwarts. She did not mind talking about it off the record. But - she did not know my parents - well, beside their names."

"It probably was easier to speak about him, after that..." Tonks offered.

"A lot," Harry nodded very lightly and scratched at his face. "She started talking with normally. I thought it was about me being a werewolf, but she did not seem like someone who could be easily scared by that. Although, when we got to Voldemort, I could smell her trying to hide the fear."

Tonks twitched almost noticeably, the Cloak billowing a bit. "Why wouldn't she? You keep using the name like it doesn't mean anything."

"It does, I know," Harry tore at the grass sending a couple of green weeds flying in the slight wind. "_But fear of the name_-"

"_Only increased the fear of a thing itself_. I know." Tonks finished for him, slightly louder than before. "Dumbledore."

Harry imagined that she would have showed him her tongue, had she not been under the Cloak. "But it is true."

"And it is also tradition to not mention the name - that's also a fact. With these meetings, Dumbledore will teach us to use it in no time, though."

"You know," Harry said, thoughtful. "I don't think that is a bad thing."

"Maybe."

There was a comfortable pause as Harry started plucking at the blades of grass with his toes.

"Do you know when there is a next meeting?" Harry asked, first one to break the silence. "Dumbledore did not say."

"Someone will tell you sooner or later," Tonks replied cheerfully. "There's always one of us nearby."

"I know - just..."

"I'm curious too. Both about the time and place - we can't keep meeting at my parent's house, can we? It has been awkward enough as it was."

Harry laughed, but then stopped abruptly and glanced back at the house. He might have imagined it, but he caught sight of Petunia retreating from one of the windows. It wasn't like he was doing anything strange, just sitting calmly outside. It was a good day, the evening traffic was low, and the lawn was rather comfortable.

"Think your aunt believes you're insane, speaking with yourself?"

"She is afraid that I'm not," Harry said. "It's better if I was, because otherwise, she knows that there's someone else. She's afraid of wizards."

"We are guarding you, why would she be worried?"

"That's Petunia for you." Harry shrugged. "If I knew why exactly she started hating magic, I would tell you."

And he flopped back on the grass.

"I've just realized," he said with his eyes closed - the sun was shining a bit too brightly. "Dumbledore wants us to move to..." He stopped mid sentence. "Interesting."

"Where?" Tonks frowned.

"I don't think I _can _tell you," Harry opened his eyes and tried again. "A place in London that belonged to Sirius." That was the best he could manage.

"Well, if Dumbledore has told you about it," Tonks seemed to be rather nonplussed with his inability to tell her of the Grimmauld Place, as if nothing was wrong. "He must know what he is doing."

"I can't tell the name of the house," Harry pointed it out, suprised. "Isn't that weird?"

"Oh." The Cloak started jumping up and down as Tonks shook her head and massaged her forehead. "Interesting. It's under some sort of spell? I can't focus on it without concentrating."

"Fidelius Charm." Harry said. "I've never seen anything like _that_."

"I feel like I should know about it, too," Tonks muttered. "Yet I can't recall any houses Sirius could have had in London, and I'm sure my mother would have told me if he did."

"At least the Charm works," Harry shrugged. "Hopefully, Dumbledore will tell you soon - he's the Secret Keeper."

"Maybe." Tonks shrugged. "Wait, he hid a house that belongs to Sirius under the Fidelius Charm?"

"Yes." Harry stared at the place where Tonks head must have been, incredulously. "That's what I am trying to tell you."

"Blimey," Tonks shifted her position again. "It's working perfectly then." And she chuckled. "That should come handy in the hearing about the will."

"How so?" Harry asked, confused.

"How do you think they are going to read the name of the house if no one knows about it beside Dumbledore? Perfect." Harry heard Tonk scratching her hand. "When is it going to be yours? I want to visit the house that doesn't exist."

"It depends on the outcome of the Sirius' will. It did belong to Sirius."

"When is that going to be settled?" Tonks continued with her questions. "The next Tuesday, right?"

"I didn't know." Harry frowned. "It's that soon?"

"Yes, I got an owl a couple of days ago. Just before the meeting of the Order. You didn't?"

Harry shook his head without raising it up, feeling the soft touch of grass on his cheek.

"That's _bad_." Tonks took a quick breath. "You should have been sent an owl at the same time. I'm going to inform Dumbledore about this, after my watch ends."

"Maybe it's just late?" Harry asked carefully.

"No, it must be deliberate. Someone did not want you to know about the date."

"How does that help?"

"If you're not present at the final hearing, the ministry might let the Malfoys claim some of what should be yours."

"Oh." Harry raised himself back up, again. "That _is _bad."

There was a screech of an owl from above, as a medium-sized grey owl swooped down, dropped a letter into his lap and sped off.

"And there it is," Tonks laughed a short, nervous laughter. "The seal of the Ministry. So it was simply late - I'm probably too paranoid. Moody has been rubbing off me."

Harry opened the letter like it held a bomb. The vax seal of the ministry broke easily, and a single, folded piece of parchment slid out from the envelope. There was another wax seal on the bottom of the letter, rather heavy compared to everything else.

There were two characters engraved on the small seal, a 'W' and 'M', one on top of the other. And there was a faint scent of... Percy? Harry frowned and started reading.

_Werewolf Harry Potter,_

_Your presence for an official witness testimony is required for the Wizengamot session at the Ministry of Magic at 11 a.m. on the fifth of July. The testimony will be given in the Courtroom Nine, presided by the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Albus Dumbledore. Only the questions in relation to the case "Werewolf Remus Lupin's assault on the Malfoy family, 1995" will be raised._

_A failure to present yourself on time will result in a fine and possible further charges for obstructing the will of the Wizengamot._

_Your acting representative of the Werewolf Support Services, Being Division of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is Amos Diggory. We urge you to owl him at your earliest convenience._

_Hoping you are well,_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Percy Weasley_

_Acting Court Scribe,_

_Junior Assistant to the the Minister of Magic_

_Ministry of Magic_

"What?!" Tonks exclaimed a loudly and stilled, looking around. No one seemed to have heard it and she released the breath she had held for a panicked second. "They can't do this," she hissed quietly. "It's at the same time as the hearing of the will."

"Remus never assaulted anyone." Harry just kept staring at the letter, muttering under his breath. "I did... Only I did."

"Harry, we both know that it's not your fault."

"But it was," Harry shook his head and crumpled the parchment in his hand, the parchment easily tearing at the light application of force. "I have given in to Malfoy's taunts and I did injure him. It was me, not Remus."

"You wolves are really interesting," she said and Harry felt her hand touching his shoulder, and the hem of the cloak touching at his arm, only increase the feeling of support, even if it felt strange. "Is blaming yourself part of the package?"

"What?" Harry asked incredulously. "What do you mean?"

"Remus is blaming himself for everything." Tonks elaborated. "He's constantly saying that everything that has happened to you is his fault."

"But he didn't-"

"Exactly my point," she interrupted him. "Listen, just stop with that 'woe is me' business. It doesn't work for Remus, won't work for you."

"Fine," he grumbled. "What should I do, then, write Dumbledore?"

"Oh, I think he knows. Otherwise his name wouldn't have been in the letter."

Harry reread the letter, now crumpled and harsh. "Wait, Cedric's father is in the Werewolf Support?"

"Huh." Tonks shrugged, the cloak billowing. "If I remember correctly, they cycle that position between everyone working in all three werewolf offices in the Being Division. You should ask someone who knows more than I do."

Harry sighed. "At least I'll meet Mr. Diggory sooner."

"Did you send that letter for Cedric yet?" She asked then.

"No, never got around to. Thought I'd do it this evening. Probably should go ahead and send it as soon as possible."

"Probably a good idea - that. Write to Amos directly, too, it's something you should do if they say so."

Harry scratched the back of his head. "Thanks, Tonks, I-"

Then, Petunia decided to take another look outside. And saw Harry, with a crumpled letter in his hands, sitting on their front lawn, in a conversation with empty air.

"Boy," his aunt called. "Get inside, now."

"I'm coming!" He called back, slightly annoyed, and turned back to Tonks. "Thanks for talking with me, hope we can do this again."

He heard a quiet laughter from somewhere nearby - Tonks had gotten up in the time he was looking at his Aunt. She took a few steps further back, and muttered in a whisper, yet, just loud enough for him to hear. "Fine love, just remember, you're not the werewolf I am looking for."

It took Harry a couple steps to realize just what she had meant, and then he spluttered, and started laughing. If a look could kill, Petunia would have murdered him right there and then.

His Aunt slammed the door shut as he got inside, but not before throwing a panicked look outside.

Petunia could swear that she heard someone invisible sniggering. She rested her back against the door and let out a painful breath. "I must be going insane," she whispered to herself.

_That_ sent Harry into another laughing fit.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

_Dear Cedric,_

_I hope you are well._

_When you said it at Hogwarts Express, I didn't think I'd be owling you this soon. The thing is, with all the recent trouble in my life, I can't afford to deny a friend. I hope you don't call me a Hufflepuff again for writing this._

_There is no good way to put it, but what Dumbledore said at the Leaving Feast is true. Voldemort is back._

_I'd write more, but by the time you get this letter, the Daily Prophet issue with my interview should be out. I know - me agreeing to give an interview after that fiasco with Skeeter - sounds crazy. I hope it's not going to end badly._

_The thing is - could we meet some time to talk about it more? It turns out that I'm going be in London next week, maybe you could floo there too?_

_Hope we can meet,_

_Harry_

_p.s. The owl that brought you the letter is Hedwig, and she's partial to bits of bacon._

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

_Dear Mr. Diggory,_

_I am writing you in relation with the official ministry summons to give a witness account, as per suggestion in the official letter._

_The letter mentioned that you are my representative of the Werewolf Support Services, but it did not clarify as to what that entails. I am owling you with hope to achieve the necessary information._

_Yours faithfully,_

_Harry Potter,_

_Werewolf_

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>Next update should be in two weeks, as it always is. Hopefully, I'll squeeze in a SMTG update in between, if the SMTG update doesn't happen, it's because I'm trying to write a story for the next DLP anthology.<p> 


	43. Supported

**Disclaimer**: Why did Harry Potter cross the driveway?

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XLIII

Supported

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry tapped his fingers on the table impatiently. A steady stream of wizards and witches flowed through the Diagon Alley minding their own business, rarely anyone giving a second glance to the Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.

Harry felt slightly stupid, wearing Muggle clothes and one of old Dudley's hats. It was a mangled grey thing that hung loosely on his head, yet it covered his mess of the hair and even provided a small shade from the summer Sun.

However much it wasn't a true disguise, it was enough to let a cursory glance slide past him. After all, it was unheard of for Harry Potter to be sighted in the wizarding world during the beginning of summer.

He still hesitated over agreeing to meet Cedric in such an open place, yet Moody had insisted.

_Not going to mollycoddle you wandering around the Muggle city, boy._

Harry glanced around. Of course, he could not find Mad-Eye so simply, even when Harry knew that the old Auror was nearby. Supposedly, the presence of many Wizards nearby would reduce the likelihood of a stray attacker jumping at him. And, Moody had spoken with Fortescue beforehand.

As for his disguise, Moody had laughed when Harry asked about it. _Just don't call any needless attention to yourself, _Moody had said and left it at that.

Harry sniffed the air. Everything smelled of ice cream. Vanilla, apples, bananas, apricots and all other kinds of fruits known to mankind had their own imprint there. Of course, Moody had no scent. Harry cursed the spell - now, his mind was busy trying to find the former Professor from some sort of movement, or any other clue, yet so far he had been out of luck.

His wolf was annoyed, yet strangely tolerant. Harry could feel the wolf twitching anytime someone's glance went right past him. He was repressing an urge to growl at anyone that was too close. And the variety of the scents had not helped the wolf to calm down. Yet, the wolf tried.

Harry sighed and took another spoonful of his simple vanilla sherbet. It was a treat that Fortescue had actually given for free, when he recognised him as Harry Potter. As a reminder of the summer before the third year, Harry supposed.

Although, Harry noted, even though the stand was not too busy with customers, Fortescue did not actually sit down with him - just went on to serve the others. All he did was exchange the greetings, ask what Harry would like, and add that it was going to be on the house as he brought it to him. Then again, Moody _had _talked with the man before.

Harry shrugged and took out the newspaper again. He had been carrying it since the early morning - and the issue in question was actually something he could see people carrying with themselves every once in awhile. His own copy was one that Tom - the bartender of the Leaky Cauldron - gave him for free, as he passed into the Diagon Alley from the backdoor of the establishment.

He glanced over the large, black letters on the first page.

**Harry Potter and his life as a Werewolf**

_By Daisy Hookum, the bestselling author of 'My Life as a Muggle'_

Underneath, a simple, small photograph of him was looking on in an impassive gaze, a tiny smile dancing at the very edge of his lips. The Harry in the photograph was looking back at him, face holding the same unsure expression. Only the eyes showed movement.

He sighed again. "It is the stupidest thing I have ever agreed to," Harry muttered.

"I don't know," there came a voice from near him and Harry looked up to see Cedric Diggory sitting down at his table - he must have lost the scent amidst the whirlpool of ice cream flavours. "Looked pretty good to me. _Thought provoking_, at the very least."

"Cedric," Harry smiled at the older boy and raised himself up just enough to shake an offered hand. "Nice to see you."

"I tried to find time as soon as you owled," he admitted. "If something made you send me Hedwig - a nice bird, by the way - I gather it is really important."

Harry scratched the back of his neck, unsure. "I - I actually had to talk with you about something," he looked around, sniffing the air. "I'm not sure how much I could tell in an open place like this..."

"I don't think we could find a truly better place that's close. " Cedric shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I don't actually know any good spells for diverting attention, too. We'll just have to talk quieter, I guess. Is this about the trial? My father told me - you even have a meeting him today in the ministry about the whole process, right?"

"Yes. And no." Harry pushed his half eaten ice cream further, since his appetite for dessert disappeared suddenly. "Did he tell you everything?"

"Much." Cedric nodded. "It's stupid, but they can't actually blame you for anything, can they? You have nothing to worry about. Dad is going to help as much as he can, too."

"Thanks," Harry muttered.

"Don't mention it - I didn't actually have to go out of my way to convince him," Cedric said glancing back at Florean where the man was serving some new arrivals. "But he didn't give me any details - I know only the basic stuff."

"It's more than I know." Harry shrugged. "I've never even heard about this position in the ministry. I mean Moony had mentioned about the Being Division being there to handle any trouble, but I did not actually plan to reveal myself until - well, ever."

"It's nothing that special," Cedric said. "The Werewolf Support Services offers a representative for any legal matters concerning wizarding law. It is mostly for the benefit of Muggles who get bitten." He sighed. "It is not a position anyone in department actually wants, as far as I know."

"I see," Harry said, following Florean with his eyes. The man was right next to them already. Cedric saw him approaching too - following Harry's gaze.

"Would you like something?" Fortescue asked Cedric, putting a stop on their conversation. The Hufflepuff pondered for a couple of moments, going for a simple vanilla sundae, same as Harry had.

Both boys stayed silent until Fortescue returned with the dessert in question.

In meantime, Harry had poked his own treat a couple of times and decided against finishing it. Of course, the spark of magic that went in the making of the ice cream was enough to keep the ice cream from melting for the whole day, so it was not like he couldn't finish them later.

"Do you remember what Dumbledore said during the Leaving Feast?" Harry said, breaking the silence, but still talking quietly enough not to be overheard. "About - Voldemort?"

Cedric nodded, his hands slightly shaking at the mention, but he clenched his teeth for a second and focused. He reached out to tap the newspaper. "It mentions the very same thing here, too. '_Dumbledore believes that he is back - is us wanting that You-Know-Who never returned enough to make it true?' _Just after she points out that the disappearances you pointed out were not adequately explained by the Ministry."

"What do you think?" Harry asked then. "About it all?"

"I don't think that Dumbledore would lie to us." Cedric responded after a short pause. "_You_ would not lie to me."

"And?"

"If he is back - if he has truly returned..." Cedric said stabbing his spoon into the ice cream like it was an enemy he could kill, going right for the strawberry embedded in the middle. "I do not know what I _can _do. But I would like to do something. Anything. You know what I mean, don't you?"

"Yes," Harry said and smiled lightly. "I-" he started to say and stopped. "This is harder than I thought."

"We have some time," Cedric said, getting a quick spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. "And I'm sure that you're going to propose something that I will accept."

"How do you know I wanted to propose anything?" Harry asked just a bit too quickly.

"Same as I know that you're not sure if you want to say me anything. Since it has to do with You-Know-Who and is something you're reluctant to talk about, I'm guessing it's dangerous."

Harry nodded solemnly.

"I'm in," Cedric pronounced calmly then. "You are a friend and if you need help, I'll help or die trying."

Harry gaped at the older boy. "Don't say that," he exclaimed slightly louder than before, and then shook his head. "Hufflepuff."

"Ah..." Cedric sat straighter. "I _am _spot on." He smiled at Harry. "So, what is it you need?"

"To say it simply," Harry said sniffing the air, trying to determine who could be overhearing them. "There is a group of wizards - and witches, that believe in Voldemort's return. I know he is back - and unlike she quoted me in that article, it's not a speculation, but a fact."

There was a short pause.

"They - we," Harry hesitated, but pushed himself through the reluctance. "We have to fight him. And we need people, however much I don't want to admit it." Harry sighed. "I'm the only underage they had allowed in, and I'm still not sure if they did a right thing. But they would like to have your father help them. He is a known name in the ministry."

Harry coughed uncomfortably. "You can't believe how I hate this - I'm actually trying to convince you to recruit your dad to something that's can get really dangerous."

"What about me?" Cedric asked, dead serious. "I want to help - personally. You can't mean that they would turn down me?"

"I have not thought about it, but I'm sure I could ask them. But it is dangerous remember?" Harry replied after a pause. "Yet... You are of age, and the Triwizard Champion."

He caught a short movement of someone invisible. Moody must have walked closer to them, for he expected no one to get past the paranoid Auror. At least, without him noticing.

Cedric glanced around, when he felt Harry tensing. "Don't you have a feeling that someone is watching us? Maybe we should move somewhere else?"

"That's actually Mad Eye," Harry whispered. "I can't smell anyone else nearby, and he would catch anyone that tried to sneak past anyway. To tell the truth, I'm not sure if I actually would catch the scent early enough with all these flavours of the Parlour..."

Cedric turned back to Harry, his eyes looking around. "He's under an invisibility cloak?"

"No," Harry replied. "He knows some spell that works similarly. The cloak would flutter too much for his taste, I guess. But I wouldn't put it past him to have one too, just in case."

"Probably... the Disillusionment Charm," Cedric's hand travelled to his wand, as he tensed. "Flitwick should teach you at the start of the sixth year."

There was another short ghostly movement, and Harry threw the invisible Moody a short grin, knowingly looking at exactly where he was. At least, Harry hoped he was. "I don't hear your breathing now," he whispered, tapping the fingers on the table. "I hope you're not thinking of testing us in the middle of the Diagon Alley. I don't think we have that much time."

There was some spell cast, silent, yet Harry realized that all the sounds of the tables further away quieted down a notch, same as the noise from the street.

"Funny, Potter," there was a rough, unmistakable voice of Professor Moody, quiet yet harsh. "We should move in five minutes - I want to double back a bit, to make sure no one is watching."

"You're going to the ministry," Cedric noted, a trace of surprise ringing in his voice - even if he had been warned, Moody started speaking a bit too close and too suddenly for him to remain unperturbed. "I need to see father as well - can I go with you?"

"Just keep your hand off the wand, boy," Moody growled. "I'd rather you didn't, but it's up to Potter, if we take you."

"I'd like it if Cedric joined us," Harry said. "I've never actually been to the Ministry before - you would be a big help to find the office I need. I heard there are hundreds of departments."

"Not really hundreds," Cedric said, relaxing a bit. His hand left the wand inside his robes. He glanced at his desert - half eaten, same as Harry's. "Let's go, I didn't really want ice cream anyway."

They stood up, Harry leaving a couple of Sickles on the table, in a sort-of apology, and without looking back once, they headed further on.

As soon as they were in the middle street Harry sighed, stopping for a second. "Where to?" He asked, in a voice that spoke volumes of how much he had loathed to ask it. He said it blind, yet, hoping that Moody was somewhere to the direction he was facing.

"First, we'll go further - towards Gringotts." Moody replied from his unseen position. "Just a bit. I'll tell when you'll have to move again. And - don't you even try looking at where I'm standing," he warned.

"Fine," Harry grumbled, and turned to Cedric, whispering. "He had me walking loops all morning, ever since I left the Dursleys."

"It can't have been that bad?" Cedric asked, perplexed. "Was it?"

"He even took me with side-along Apparition three times." Harry looked down at the ground. "I should have asked for Tonks."

"Do not talk this much," Moody admonished. "And walk slower."

Harry shrugged then and resigned to a long walk to the Ministry. Cedric, however, kept a small smile along the way.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

To Harry's immense relief, they did not spend ages on getting there, just slightly longer than a quarter of an hour, and in the end, they had used the Floo network.

"I hate magical travel," he mumbled under his nose as he got up from the polished dark wood floor of the Ministry Atrium. It reeked of hundreds of feet and smelly socks, and boot polish.

Harry picked up the hat he had been wearing from the ground, used it to dust his jeans off, and stuffed it into one of the pockets of his clothes.

He was still looking around when Cedric walked up to him - the Hufflepuff had been the first one through, but the Ministry Atrium had more than one fireplace for arrivals. "I'm alright," Harry added needlessly.

Cedric did not comment, as they turned to look - or wait for a sound from the old Auror.

Alastor Moody, perfectly visible, stepped out of the fire, his wooden leg bumping loudly on the floor, wood hitting wood with a certain sort of determination. His disillusionment charm had been taken off, and he was in striding forward in his usual ragged clothes, yet with a small insignia of Ministry of Magic glimmering on his chest.

"You need to sign up." He pointed at the end of the Atrium, at the security post and a wide golden gate that people were rushing through.

In the Atrium, the three of them drew many looks - Moody's leg took care of everyone hearing about them, where Cedric and Harry drew out the most whispers out of the surrounding crowds.

Of course, since they both were here, the fastest hypothesis that the nearby wizards had procured was simple - there was trouble dividing the winnings of the tournament.

Harry was intrigued to hear a couple of wizards quickly jumping into a discussion of the article and then, about the werewolf rights. He was soon disappointed when he realised that one of them had been only offering arguments for a special exemption for the Boy-Who-Lived, not for the betterment of all werewolves, as Harry had secretly hoped.

Moody nodded at the wizard in the security post next to the golden gates. There, sitting relaxedly at the desk to the left, was indeed a wizard, so entranced in reading the Daily Prophet that he was mostly ignoring the other passing. When he finally saw them, he reluctantly put the newspaper down.

"Harry Potter!" he exclaimed, jumping started up. "In the flesh-"

"Yes, yes, Eric," Moody growled and the man froze. "Can you get this over quick? I have two visitors here. Just - step over there," he said the last for Harry and Cedric, motioning them closer to the security table.

The wizard held up a long golden rod, thin and flexible as a car aerial, and passed it up and down Harry's front and back, then repeated the same with Cedric.

"Please give me your wand," the guard asked, and Harry, listening in to too many conversations at once, only turned to look back at him, blinking. "Your wand," the wizard repeated.

Harry quickly dove for his wand, stashed in the back pocket of his jeans. Moody frowned, but did not complain about it out loud, just opting to grumble something under his mangled nose, something about losing one's buttocks.

The wizard dropped it on to a strange brass instrument, which looked something like a set of scales with only one dish. It began to vibrate, and his wolf retreated back in the corner of his mind, uneasy. The ministry as a whole had been a complete mystery for the wolf as well. Too orderly, and at the same time - too disjointed.

A narrow strip of parchment came speeding out of a slit in the base. The wizard tore it off and read the writing on it.

"Eleven inches, phoenix-feather core, four years of use. That correct?"

Harry nodded.

"What is the purpose of your visit?" The security wizard asked calmly, handing him back the wand. "You need a visitor badge."

"I'm ah-" Harry mumbled, before continuing on in a stronger tone, "I'm here for the Werewolf Support Services."

"I see."

There was a pause.

"Here is your visitor's badge." And he handed a small badge that said 'Harry Potter, Werewolf' to Harry. "Carry it at all times on that side of the gate"

Harry sighed and placed it on his chest.

"Next wand," the man said, and looked at Cedric expectantly.

The Hufflepuff drew out a small slip of parchment and slid it to the man.

"Ah, yes, you do have the permit." The man looked at the paper. "Did not change the wand in the meantime, Mr. Diggory?" The man gave the small slip of paper back, but first he tapped it twice with his wand, producing a copy to join the other slips on the small brass spike.

"No."

"And the reason of your visit?"

"Family," Cedric smiled weakly, drawing out an older, slightly battered badge - 'Cedric Diggory, Visiting Family Member' and showing it to the guard, before affixing it to his robes.

"Ah, give Amos my regards, then," the man said, turning to the next one in the line.

It was not long before all three of them got in the lift - and Harry noted - not a single person wanted to get into the same elevator as he did. It might have been Mad-Eye, who was continuously glaring at everyone, yet, it might have been him, too.

He sighed as the lift started moving, his hand fiddling with the small badge on the front of his clothes. **_Werewolf_**, it spelled out for everyone to see, Harry frowned. _Great_.

After a short ride - where in level seven, six and five, no one had volunteered to get into the lift - of course there were at least ten of them, but that did not mean that there weren't those going in the direction they were. Harry had actually seen at least five that stopped themselves as they saw his badge.

Harry's mood was steadily getting worse. He had been rather anxious about meeting Cedric's father already, and he just wouldn't believe that the lift only opened to let in the fluttering paper airplanes.

Finally, they were in place.

"_Level Four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office, and Pest Advisory Bureau."_

They stepped into a huge corridor crossing, stretching forward, right and left for some distance.

The walls were as plain as they got, with small doors leading to various rooms of unknown purpose - they all were numbered, yet most of them had no identifiable label. Only a small sign overhead the lift pointed to both sides and forward - according to it, the Beast and Being divisions were across each other, on the different ends of the same corridor.

Harry's first impression was - disorienting. There were various noises coming in from the various hallways of the floor, chirping, cheeping, howling and growling, it all was there, in an impossible cacophony of muffled sounds, barely at the audible spectrum.

Even if it was not loud - it was there, a constant background noise - annoying and persistent. The smells were probably a tad bit worse - creatures, humans and various strange scents persisted, soaked into his clothes and got a bad taste on his tongue.

"Is it always - this _smelly_?" Harry closed his eyes for a second, orienting himself. The wolf wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. "So reminiscent of a zoo?"

"Well, no." Cedric said. "And yes, sadly."

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"It's part of Pest and Beast divisions - if there is some strange creature, they actually bring it inside the department, to decide how to classify it. There's even an expert for that. I heard they had one of Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewt's brought in once - there was a mess as they did not actually know how to calm it down, kept it stunned for most of the time."

Harry chuckled.

"Father sometimes tells stories." Cedric grinned supportively "The short lesson is - never go to work in the Beast Division - they have some subdivisions that literally have take care of the messes like that. Well, unless you're Hagrid."

Harry smiled back.

"You should not dally," Mad-Eye interrupted their conversation. He pointed at the direction where a couple of paper airplanes had zoomed off. "Amos has an office that way."

They pushed through a couple of employees that seemed to recognise Cedric, even if both witches quickly moved aside from Alastor Moody, with a matching weird looks thrown at his direction.

Harry frowned. At least it was not him, this time. The smells were getting better, as they went further along in the building. Sometimes, there were windows, that mirrored the weather Harry had expected to see outside. Slightly damp, yet sunny.

Cedric opened on one of the doors, labelled with huge block of dark letters, spelling **Being Division**.

That lead them into to another, much shorter and narrower corridor, where, at the very end of it, there was the office they needed - Harry could see it from there.

**Amos Diggory, Head of the Being Division**

They knocked on the door - Cedric did.

"Come in," a tired voice called, and Harry followed Cedric inside, shadowed by Mad-Eye.

"Hey, dad," Cedric was the first one to speak. "How is your day?"

"Cedric?" Amos asked incredulously. " I did not expect to see you this soon - and - you brought Harry Potter," surprise was still ringing in his voice. Then, he saw Moody. "Alastor," he exclaimed. "A pleasant surprise - but what are you all doing here at the same time?"

"I am keeping Harry company," Cedric replied calmly, smiling at his father. "And, came for a visit, if you'll have time afterwards, of course.

"Alastor?" Amos asked the grizzled Auror. "What about you?"

"I am on guard duty." He grumbled leaning back at the nearest wall. "You can confirm it with Rufus if you want. Not going to get in your way."

"I didn't think you would." Amos sighed. "Not going to grumble about an Auror being sent to a mission unbefitting of his status?" he asked rather friendlily.

Moody grinned. "No, since there's only dark wizards foolish enough to go after the boy - yet, it's something easy enough that I don't have to blame my old age and ask for the second retirement. Things are moving - I would not want to lose the benefits that come with the position."

"Ah, so Rufus believes it all..." Amos traced off, throwing a short glance at Harry. "Does he?"

"I do," Mad-Eye grumbled under his breath. "And Rufus at least pretends to listen to my advice. When he thinks it might get me off his back."

"I see." The elder Diggory cracked his fingers and glanced at his son. "Please, Cedric, take a seat - over there, if you don't mind."

As the Hufflepuff sat down at the side of the room, Amos waved for Harry to come closer and gestured to the seat just at the other side of his desk.

"Now, we can finally start what you all came here for," he reached to take a small stack of papers from his desk. "First off, Mr. Potter, you need to know that I volunteered for this position, but if you feel that I am inadequate or just don't require any sort of assistance, you are free to try to appeal for another worker to take over. At any time of your choosing. Is this clear enough?"

Harry nodded.

"Good. I need you to sign some papers for me."

"What are they for?" Harry asked.

"Legal stuff," Amos replied boredly. "Basically, it gives me a certain sort of advisory and delegatory position in regards to any legal matters of the Ministry. Some of these are quite pointless at this time, but it might come handy in the future. It sets up me as an intermediary in case any legal matters that involve your - ah - condition come to light. I won't have a final say on anything, but you will be able to delegate some of the responsibilities for me."

"Why do I need a representative, though?" Harry asked. "I'm not saying that I don't appreciate what you are doing here, but... It's simple curiosity."

Mr. Diggory sighed. "Because, wizards have a right to forego dealing with werewolves directly. Any legal deals, employment agreements, anything that requires a confirming signature - it is not used..." He paused awkwardly, but continued on, a strange expression on his face, as if he was unsure of his own opinion on the matters he was talking about. "Often... but it's been known to happen. Currently, ministry accepts werewolf signatures as fully legal, but there have been movements to make _everything_ concerning Ministry to be passed through an intermediary. Meaning more work for the Being Division. Would probably be better for the Muggle werewolves in the long run, but annoying for all the wizard ones."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "So, if there is a will hearing I am supposed to participate in, they could just deny my presence?"

"Yes and no." Amos scratched his left hand. "They can't because it is a ministry sanctioned legal process, but if you would like to make any kind of deals between yourself and other benefactors directly, they could try to protest your signature on any of the deals you signed. Or decline signing any of the papers on the basis of your state."

Amos tapped his fingers on the table, slightly uncomfortable. "It would not invalidate the signature immediately, but it could be used to contest the validity of such a deal. Yet, if there was a representative's signature - in this case - mine; It would be as binding as if you were a full wizard."

"And how often do you need to deal with such things?" Harry couldn't help but ask. "Is every werewolf treated like that?"

"Personally..." Amos shrugged. "I have never actually opted for a Werewolf Support Services tasks, but there are a number employees that take care of the legal matters for werewolves on daily basis. I could find some official numbers I could send by owl, but it is not needed as often as you'd think."

"I see, I don't think I need to see the numbers, actually," Harry said. "Thank you for agreeing to take care of me."

"Well, it's not like there's going to be much going on, and you are Harry Potter," Amos smiled. "They probably won't need my participation in the trial, since you are going to be there as a witness. The second form from the top is all we have to submit - I have already signed it, if you would too - the trial is taken care off. Unless you want me to preside in the courtroom as well - just in case some unexpected need arises for my services - but that will have a small fee that goes with it." He glanced at Cedric. "Even then, I think we could forgo it."

"Thank you," Harry muttered, slightly uncomfortable. "I could pay for it, though."

"If I won't have to actually do anything, I'm not going to take your money just because I could." Amos smiled in fatherly smile. "Like my son, I was a Hufflepuff too." He rummaged through the papers on his desk. "Now, I don't have anything about the will hearing, that is weird - but it is about the Black Fortune?"

"The Black Fortune?" Harry asked, frowning.

"Just a name the press gave it a couple of days ago. _Narcissa Black to take back the Black Fortune._" Amos waved it aside. "I'm sure there isn't half as much money as they make it to be. The Blacks were an old family, but they weren't that well off in the end, and the money tends to change hands quickly. When is this will hearing taking place?"

"Same time as the trial," Harry said dejectedly.

"Oh." Amos' eyes went wide, as Cedric, too, stared at Harry in an unhidden surprise. "That is certainly unprecedented."

"Is there a way around this?"

"Do not worry." Amos Diggory grinned, contently - it looked like he liked the little complication. Or, he was happy to see that he could help, when his son was watching. Harry guessed the latter was in play. "They tried to trick you, but this is not something that can't be solved. This is what we will do - I will delegate the task of watching the trial to one of my colleagues and will go to the hearing in your place - it wouldn't do to send someone else there, whereas in the trial, you probably won't need me anyway. Do you have your copy of the Sirius Black Will?"

Harry shook his head. "Amelia Bones read it to me once, though."

"Ah, not a problem, not a problem." Amos took out a small paper from a little black box on the corner of his table, and grabbed a quill.

With a quick motion, he penned down a couple of words and touched his wand to the paper. It folded itself into a small paper plane and darted towards the door, squeezing through the small gap above, and zooming further on.

"They should send me a copy in a couple of hours. I will take care of everything else."

"Thank you." Harry smiled. "I did not know what I should do."

"Well, that is exactly what I'm here for. What else have we got - ah, going to need your signature on the couple more forms... when I find them." Amos rustled the papers again. "When I read about it in the Prophet, I never thought I'd get tangled in this," he whispered under his breath, but Harry caught it. "Fighting Malfoys over the rights of werewolves. I thought I'd never see the day."

Harry sighed, looking at the stack of papers in his hand, took an offered quill and resigned to fill them all in. It was going to take a while.

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/VVVV\

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><p><strong>AN:**

In the end, I overestimated my concentration over the weekend, and it took twice as long for me to write out this chapter than I evaluated it would. With troubled and stressed times coming up ahead in the next couple of months, I will still try to keep to the two week update schedule. As noted before and elsewhere, allow me a day for an error.

I used a couple of lines from the Order of the Phoenix in this chapter, namely, to fill the paperwork of the security desk, and for an automated totally-not-Glados-but-Maglos announcements.

Fun trivia - there's a meager 11 reviews gap between FFF and SMTG, and SMTG is quickly gaining with more than a hundred reviews for a fourth chapter alone. Then again, FFF is one of the (from today's perspective, viewing the old chapters in the new light) older works, and it might not be as exciting as _ninjas_. When that happens, I'll still prove to be a stubborn and stupid man and will try to prioritize FFF over SMTG, since I do want to finish this story.

Guess I'll have to make this werewolf Harry into a _pirate, _or something, to keep the scales balanced. ;D


	44. Tricked

**Disclaimer**: Why can't I think of a good disclaimer for today?

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><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XLIV

Tricked

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/VVVV\

The wolf growled all the way to the Courtroom Nine. The walls were too cramped, the wizards smelled too old for his taste, and the uneasiness that Harry felt was only amplified by the wolf's dislike for this predicament.

Professor Moody was with him same as a couple of days before, shadowing him a few meters back, detached. However, Harry mused to himself, the presence of a paranoid, yet experienced Auror meant that he was as safe as he could be in the midst of the Ministry.

Harry quickly found himself next to the entrance to the Courtroom Nine, where he was supposed to meet up with a witch by the name of Veronica Smethley, a name that sounded somewhat familiar to him, yet he was not sure from where and when.

There was a small crowd there already - the corridor was wider near the entrance, and wizards, talking between themselves had snapped their attention to him, staring rather rudely, conversation slowing down to a screeching halt.

Harry looked around, unsure how he was supposed to find Ms. Smethley, and in that moment of hesitation Lucius Malfoy strolled up to him, like he owned the place.

Everyone was watching.

"Potter," Lucius grinned at him. "Fancy seeing you here. Early."

Harry bit down a growl rising in his throat. Lucius was hoping to get him out of balance, to anger him enough to make a mistake. However much he agreed with his wolf, biting Lucius' throat out was not a good course of action.

Harry had to content himself with showing a vicious grin.

Malfoy didn't take a step back, but his eyes filled with disgust. "If you're going to behave like an animal, I'm sure that the Ministry will take care of you soon."

Harry clenched his teeth and took a hissing breath. "Was there something you wanted to say to me, Mr. Malfoy?" he asked, fighting with his wolf. It was not a day for _revenge_, Harry reminded the wolf time and time again. Malfoy was baiting him, for if he attacked, there would be no Remus to take the fall for him.

"I was just expressing my concern over uncivilized beings not knowing their time. But it seems that you rank slightly smarter than most of them."

"Lucius," Moody took a step forward, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder, for Harry almost jumped forward. "Need I remind you of a little article in the laws about trying to influence witnesses?"

Lucius rolled his eyes. "On what basis, Auror Moody?"

"On my authority," Moody growled. "You're not in Azkaban only because we haven't caught you with your pants down yet."

"Do I hear an accusation at a respected member of the wizarding community?" Lucius asked taking a step back.

"You heard a comment on a pending investigation by the Auror Office." Moody showed his teeth. "And believe me when I say that you're going to make a mistake soon, Lucius."

"I see." Malfoy clenched his walking cane. "Your time would be better spent catching true menaces to our society, say, wild werewolves... If your Office likes to waste money on inquiries at law abiding citizens, I can only offer my condolences." He turned around and strolled towards the Minister, and - Percy, who was standing right next to Fudge.

"Enjoy your freedom while you can, Lucius," Moody threw at his back. "You don't have much of it left."

Even if Malfoy did not show it in his gait, Harry felt a sliver of fear from the way he breathed. Even if it was lost amidst all the fury emanating from the man, Harry felt content.

"Thank you," he muttered to Moody.

"You'd better think about keeping your cool, lad," Moody grunted back. "I can bet my eye that this isn't the last time they go for the anger card. If you lose your control in the courtroom, it's as good as over."

Harry nodded. "I'll try."

"Just remember to breathe."

That rang a strange bell in Harry's mind and his hand darted into the hems of his robe, hoping that he still had it. He sniffed the air as his wolf snarled in annoyance.

Luckily, his fingers clasped on the small vial he carried with himself just in case.

"What are you doing?" Moody asked as Harry lifted the small vial to his lips.

"Scent-numbing potion," Harry said. "To keep the head clear."

And it did help. His head cleared even more than he expected possible. The old scents were making him dizzy and irritated and he hadn't noticed it until they faded into the background.

Moody shrugged. "Your choice."

Only then, a young witch decided to walk up to them.

"Veronica Smethley, Junior Expert of Being Division, Werewolf Registry." She offered them an obviously fake smile, and nodded at Moody.

"Moved back from Beast Division?" Moody raised an eyebrow.

"We just changed the way corridor bends," she waved her hand dismissively. "Amos pulled a few strings to get me here from my other duties. Now, Mr. Potter, do you have any questions before the trial begins?" she asked in a discontent tone, and continued before Harry could actually ask anything. "I went through your papers yesterday night, they look fine; you can consider yourself registered in accordance to all regulations," she said rudely, if her work had been his fault. "I have the form that delegates Amos duties to me for the duration of this trial, if they will require something of him. So, Mr. Potter, will there be anything else?"

"Um," Harry hesitated. "No, and thank you for your help."

"You _are _paying me for it," her response was a quiet, yet audible, and then she continued in a normal voice. "If that is all, I'll take a seat in the observer row until such a time when you need me."

Harry nodded.

She moved away from them as soon as he did so, rushing towards the main clutter of people that were already whispering between themselves. Mainly about the trial, Harry realised, even though he couldn't catch every conversation.

"Best get inside, lad," Moody noted as wizards, wearing plum coloured robes, finally started pouring inside the Courtroom Nine. "I'll wait at the entrance till Dumbledore comes, and he said that you're going to leave with him."

"You're not going to stay?" Harry asked. "Where should I go?"

"Have work to do." Moody's eye was jumping ever faster. "Hmm, shouldn't be too difficult, Potter - there's a small stool at the right side from the entrance, for witnesses. Can't miss it. Looks like you're going to be alone today."

"Won't there be other witnesses?" Harry asked, rather fearful of a prospect of sitting in front of the Wizengamot alone.

"It's not a trial that is going to be over in one day." Moody sighed. "Lucius is both trying to attack and doing damage control, while Albus is matching his moves. The whole thing makes my head hurt. They're going to be at this for the whole summer."

"But the Headmaster is going to win?" Harry asked, somewhat naively.

"No one is going to win this one." Moody took a step towards the nearest wall and rested his back at it. "Now go, it's better that you're there early."

Harry nodded, steeled himself, and on the urging of his wolf, walked inside with the head held high. It brought out another bout of whispers, but he had been already used to it.

He grinned viciously at some toad-like witch that was sprouting some nonsense about all werewolves having to be shackled, and was content to see her freeze to look at him with something that must have been a drop of fear. She feared that a werewolf would harm her.

Harry chuckled - what if the date had been nearer the full moon?

He sat on the uncomfortable black bench that Moody had indicated before, back straight, eyes travelling through the rows of wizards. Some were glaring at him, some looking at him with surprise. But they all _saw _him.

His wolf was relishing a challenge, in a sense, it was him against the world, yet it felt like he was winning. None of them had said anything. None of the wizards would hold his gaze for long.

They were supposed to be sitting hidden in shadows, away from his gaze, giving out an ominous, threatening atmosphere. But they weren't. Harry's smile became wider. He could see them as clear as day, their plum cloaks looking more grey than coloured, and he was not afraid, not anymore.

There was nothing to be afraid off. He was there, and they couldn't do anything to him. And words... He would take all their words today. Harry snapped his teeth together, and the sound echoed strangely in the courtroom. He licked his lips, and tasted their fear together with the wolf.

He could see the wolf again. His ghostly companion had jumped on the bench right next to him, and was sitting alike him - straight, defiant and angry.

Harry's eyes found Percy. Percy, seated at the the very end of the first row across him, was staring downwards, unable to meet his gaze. There were papers clustered on his lap, and a quill that he was nervously picking up and placing back on the papers, not able to decide where it should go.

He could feel the nervousness of the Weasley, and wondered why Percy was trying to escape his gaze. Had it been because the Weasley was working as a Junior Assistant for the Minister? Was he ashamed to be in the position? Or afraid that Harry would think bad of him?

He was not sure how he would describe his relation with Percy, since it had been some time since he last saw Ron's brother. Probably during the Quidditch Cup.

He sat there, bored, as time flew by rather quickly. It had already been half past eleven when the wizards started quieting down ever more, and the commotion finally ended. Only the seat in the middle of the lodge was empty - and Harry had not seen Albus Dumbledore arrive yet.

Then they wizard with DMLE badge closed the black door, and Harry felt a pang of fear - what if Dumbledore wouldn't come? Then, Fudge stood up to say something, and the fear started bubbling up in waves.

However, he was soon proved wrong, as there was a loud bang of the door being slammed open, and Albus Dumbledore strolled inside, without a care in the world. Harry was sure he caught a glimpse of Moody rushing to be somewhere else.

Fudge choked on his words and flopped back down.

"Ah," Dumbledore said, moving swiftly to his place in the front row. "My apologies for arriving a tad bit late, but you will excuse an old man his little quirks, will you not?"

Then, he winked at Harry, pushing past the Minister to sit at the very centre.

"Chief Warlock, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, present," he announced then, in a calm, quiet voice that rang well enough for everyone to hear. "Mr. Weasley, if you'd be so kind, is there anyone else that we are to wait for?"

Percy jumped at the mention of his name and dug through the papers on his desk, his eyes quickly running through the list. "No - sir," he squeezed out with a weak voice. "Everyone is present."

"Capital," Dumbledore smiled at him. "We can begin."

"For the record," Fudge spoke up, as Percy grabbed his quill and began scribbling furiously. "The fifth assembly of the Wizengamot regarding the case of '_Werewolf Remus Lupin's assault on the Malfoy family, 1995'_. The proceedings are presided by the Chief Warlock. Claimant Lucius Malfoy present in person, The Ministry of Magic vouching for the unimpeded and just adherence to the rules, allowing a decision to be reached _in absentia_ of Remus John Lupin, the accused."

Harry was following Percy's quill, it let him keep his gaze of the Minister and focus. Some part of him still couldn't believe what was happening.

"The interrogators are as follows: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, the Minister of Magic; Pius Henry Thicknesse, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Dolores Jane Umbridge, Acting Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. Court Scribe, Percy Ignatius Weasley."

"Very well," Dumbledore said, and Harry snapped his attention towards him. "On previous session, Wizengamot has reached a consensus regarding some parts of the precedent of the case of Evan Grey, and today, our cause is to finalize the decision, by examining further witness accounts."

There was a pause.

"Wizengamot calls for Harry James Potter, the last member of the magical Potter family and werewolf, to relay his witness account." The Chief Warlock called, his eyes motioning Harry to the centre of the room.

Harry guessed that had anyone else but Dumbledore called him, the _last member_ part wouldn't have been mentioned. After all, the Potters weren't that ancient of a family.

He stood up, correctly interpreting Dumbledore's intentions.

In the middle of the room, there was a chair, one he had forgone examining in favour of looking at the people - it was metal, harsh, blocky, and now, Harry noticed chains hanging from the arms. His footsteps echoing on the stone floor, head held straight, he sat down.

Properly, even if it was uncomfortable, and the twitch of the chains called out a shudder from him. Even as cold sweat ran down his back, and the wolf howled an uncomfortable howl, Harry held himself.

"Cornelius," Dumbledore said. "The witness is yours."

Fudge tried to glare at Harry. "You are Harry James Potter, of number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?"

_Snape could be scarier. _"Yes."

"You are a werewolf."

"Yes," Harry replied, even though it did not feel like a question.

"You have been turned werewolf by Remus John Lupin, roughly a year ago?"

"Yes."

"You have not informed the authorities of this fact during this year?"

"No," Harry answered after a short hesitation.

"You have knowingly ignored the will of the Ministry?" the toad like witch took over the questioning before Harry could find Dumbledore's eyes. The witch spoke in a fluttery, girlish, high-pitched voice that took Harry aback; he had been expecting a croak.

Dumbledore coughed. Once. "Ah, Madam Umbridge, I must point out what is an established fact - Remus Lupin was the one who told Harry not to."

"Why did you listen to him?" she pressed on. "Surely you suspected that he was tricking you?"

"I trusted him," Harry replied what he felt was right. Dumbledore looked content so far, so it must have been a right thing to say. They had not rehearsed the whole thing, but Tonks had spent half an hour beforehand pointing where he should tell the whole truth, and where he could omit something. Her main advice was to look at Dumbledore. "He was a friend of my parents."

There was a round of murmur in the Wizengamot that lasted for a good minute.

"Were there other people who knew about your condition?" Fudge resumed the questioning.

"Once again, Cornelius," Dumbledore chimed in cheerfully, "This line of questioning is not relevant to the case."

Fudge looked like he was going to murder someone. "I am... sorry, Chief Warlock," he replied. "We still need to establish some facts about Harry Potter's assault on young Mr. Malfoy."

"We have Minerva McGonagall's and Severus Snape's accounts of the events. Is their official report insufficient, in your opinion?" Albus Dumbledore asked innocently.

There was another bout of whispers, yet Dumbledore raised a hand, and it receded.

"It is not their competency that I am doubting in," Fudge replied slowly. "But rather, I feel the need to confirm some things."

"Very well," Dumbledore sighed. "Harry Potter, you should know that you have a right not to reply to any of the following questions."

Harry nodded.

"Is it true that you have attacked Draco Malfoy with your hands and teeth?" Fudge asked, gauding for a reaction. "Like a primal animal?"

Harry didn't raise up to the bait - he saw that many were affronted by the way Fudge presented his question. He just found the Headmaster's cooling gaze, and locked his eyes with the old professor.

_Keep calm_, he heard - or saw, a briefest touch of the Headmaster's mind. _Mention a loss of control. _His wolf was there at the very next moment, looking for an intruder that was not there anymore.

That - Harry was surprised to note, trying to move his attention away from the vision of a snarling canine - _that _wasn't among the things he covered with Tonks. He sighed and focused, half closing his eyes. "In response to Draco's provocations, I couldn't fully control myself."

"And you have caused injuries to Draco Malfoy?" Fudge asked for clarification.

"Yes," he answered, watching the face of Dumbledore. Defiant and proud.

"Injuries that, as per account of healers of St. Mungo's, have not mended properly?"

"Yes."

There was a rising tension, that Harry could almost feel with his skin. A charge, ready to strike somewhere.

"Do you understand that you are admitting to a crime which carries a death sentence?"

"Yes."

There was a roar of furious shouting, and Harry even moved his hands to cover his ears - in this courtroom, it seemed that everything echoed thricefold. The wizards, standing, were shouting at him, at each other, cursing, accusing and protesting.

"Silence!" Dumbledore roared louder than everyone, his presence sending everyone reeling back into their seats.

There was a rustling of papers as Percy picked them up from the floor, the echo ringing loudly in Harry's ears.

"The Chair calls for Lucius Malfoy," Dumbledore said calmly, like he was talking about someone's grades or a Weasley prank gone wrong, like he had not just calmed down the whole room of angered wizards. "Do you agree to the version of the assault that Harry Potter admits to having committed?"

Lucius Malfoy stood up then, his face white with anger, hands shaking. It looked like it was paining him to talk. "The Malfoy Family is satisfied with the witness account." He flopped down on his seat, glaring.

"Then, Harry Potter," Dumbledore said calmly. "That concludes the questions this body has for you. Please move back to your former seating place."

"What?" Fudge protested, red in the face, as Harry got up. "But he admitted to the crime - we all heard him."

"Yet, we all know that it was a fault of a Rage-Inducing Potion."

"What _insanity _is this?" Fudge spluttered. "Dumbledore, you can't tell me you are going to overlook the bestial nature of werewolves in favour of something as contrived of an excuse as a Rage-Inducing Potion?"'

Dumbledore sighed theatrically. "Minister, we have covered the potion version on the last session, by the majority of this very body agreeing to accept the explanation. We could reexamine the witness accounts and the physical Potion remains in yet another session of you wish to call for it."

Harry, back to the bench he had been sitting in the very beginning, noted that there were agreeing nods amidst the crowd.

Fudge, resigned shook his head.

"Thus," Dumbledore pressed on, "In my capacity of Chief Warlock, I offer the following resolution. Harry Potter, guilty of interfering with authorities with mitigating circumstances, namely being under the influence of Remus Lupin, the main accused. Suggested fine, as per suggestions of the standard protocol, is two thousand Galleons."

Fudge sighed, and nodded his head. "The fine is appropriate."

Harry caught a round of whispers that proclaimed it at least twice the average size. Dumbledore must have risked offering higher fine to take attention away from his personal support in the case.

"Those in favour for this proposal?" Pius Thicknesse called out from his seat, and hands rose up. _Many_, Harry realised, probably more than half - and some were raising them, looking at Dumbledore questioningly. Fudge had been among those to raise their hands, same as the toad-like witch. Dumbledore was not. Harry was not clear whether the Headmaster even could vote - maybe Chief Warlock never did - he resigned to ask Hermione, later.

A few seconds later, Harry was two thousand Galleons poorer.

Surprisingly, he saw Lucius sweating. That called out a small smile out of the Gryffindor, and in turn, his smile made Malfoy flinch.

"Next, as Remus Lupin has bitten a last member of the magical family, and carried over the curse of lycanthropy, we need to confirm the death penalty."

This time, at Pius urging, almost every hand in the room rose up.

Fudge breathed out a short breath of relief. "Finally," he muttered barely audibly.

Pius Thicknesse stood up. "There is one last matter to settle."

Lucius flinched, and Harry glanced at Dumbledore, who was smiling thinly, looking not at Pius, but at Malfoy as well.

"The Wizengamot has ruled death sentence to Remus John Lupin." Thicknesse announced. "For turning Harry James Potter. Not for an assault on Malfoy family - that has been covered by today's fine for Harry James Potter, in compensation for the whole year of lycanthropy he had hidden from the Ministry. Yet, in the whole matter, he was no more than a victim of the ordeal. This brings two important questions - one - had the Chief Warlock misused his right to render judgement without the input of this ancient body?"

There was a murmur in the hall, as Thicknesse lifted his hand, silencing the chatter. "We have had a couple of sessions on the topic already - thus, let this be brief. All those for renewing the investigation into Chief Warlock's misuse of power, and condemning his decision as invalid?"

Many hands raised up again. Once more - the majority agreed. Yet, Harry noticed - only barely, the vote had come very close.

Dumbledore inclined his head, before the unrest could start. "I will stand by the decision of the Wizengamot. However, it seems that you had yet another matter in your mind, Pius."

"Yes," the wizard agreed. "This next matter is certainly more provoking, to say the least - why did Lucius Malfoy try to kill Remus Lupin without a trial, if there was no right for him to do so?"

The chamber broke in shouts yet again.

"Lucius Malfoy," Pius Thicknesse turned to face him, his voice amplified by a Sonorus Charm, ringing louder than everyone else. "In my capacity as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I place you under arrest for an illegal use of the Unforgivable Curse."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\


	45. Played

**Disclaimer**: Who? What? Why? Ask Rowling.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XLV

Played

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Amos Diggory furrowed his brows. His thoughts were racing, and he was trying to find something that he was forgetting, but it kept escaping his notice - like a hidden name of some old acquaintance, that is somewhere at the edge of the tongue, but you can't just get it out.

The will hearing would be held in fifteen minutes, at eleven thirty, and he still was sure that he was missing some important piece of the puzzle. And he couldn't ask Harry Potter about it - the poor boy was being held up in trial - an obvious play on Malfoy side. He sighed and pointed his wand the piles of parchment, making it roll up into neat scrolls, and then forced them into a small mokeskin pouch.

As Diggory exited his room, he ran into someone he did not expect to see walking around the ministry at this time. Albus Dumbledore.

He stopped, staring disbelievingly.

"Sir?" he asked carefully. "What are-?"

"Ah, I was afraid I might have missed you." Dumbledore smiled. "It would have been most unfortunate. You see, I hoped to invite you to a short meeting as old acquaintances, after this long day is finally over."

"But -" Amos spluttered. "Aren't you supposed to be in the Courtroom Nine?"

"Oh," Dumbledore looked genuinely surprised. "I seem to have forgotten the time - old man's problems, I assure you. Best to head off now." And he pushed a small piece of parchment into Diggory's hands. "I might not have a chance to catch up with you later, if that happens, feel free to drop by this evening, hopefully you will be able to."

Amos stared down in wonder.

_The ancestral home of the Black family may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London._

Diggory open his mouth and closed it again. It was like the question that had been plaguing him the whole day had been answered, and now he was looking back on his earlier musings with incredible surprise. _How I could have missed it?_

"We'll talk about it later," Dumbledore waved dismissively, already stepping into the lift, tapping himself on the shoulder with one hand, half-scratching himself.

A spark of heat singed his fingers, and Amos twitched - the tiny piece of parchment turned black and crumpled between his fingers as if it had never been.

_What magic was this?_

Amos was never a scholar, nor he had a talent for more complex applications of magic, yet he considered himself well read on most subject. But the charm that would hide information from someone who knew about it - that was something else.

_Why had Dumbledore revealed it, then?_

What had the old Headmaster wanted him to do with this knowledge? If - and Amos was slightly disturbed by the thought of such a powerful enchantments - no one would remember about the house, how would they be able to properly divide the will?

"It was not just the money on the line," Diggory muttered to himself.

He knew just what to do, then.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Lucius Malfoy took the fall gracefully. Oh, Harry could practically smell the range, even though the numbing potion, everyone could see that Lucius was at the very edge of snapping. Yet, he didn't.

A short while, Harry believed that Lucius would pull off something grand, that the blond haired wizard would whip out his wand and start launching spells. He could even see that primal desire to escape in Malfoy's eyes, and his wolf was watching his _enemy_ intently.

Lucius would murder him, given a chance, Harry saw it clearly. Yet, if Malfoy had tried to do something like _that_, it would not be just an arrest for using an unsanctioned unforgivable. An assault of Harry Potter, in the midst of the Wizengamot, no less...

No amount of defence could save Lucius from a sentence this time.

Thus, Malfoy had chosen to take his chances with the Ministry Law.

He still was an influential member.

He still had a chance.

Afterwards, when the commotion did not look like it was going to end soon, Dumbledore called for a two hour break, and wizards, still chatting amidst themselves, flowed outside of the room.

Harry, watching them relish in the events, realised that they would use the reprieve to bring news and gossip to everyone they knew, and soon, the whole Magical Britain would be buzzing of Lucius arrest and Dumbledore's loss of a powerful position.

He was soon joined by Dumbledore.

"Is that it?" Harry asked, then. "Or do I have to stay?"

"No," Dumbledore said, sighing. "There will be plays and counterattacks that will take a while, but yes, your personal involvement in the case should be over."

"What now?" Harry asked quietly, looking around for anyone who could overhear. "Moody mentioned that I should leave with you."

"Before we leave, you should confirm it with Mrs. Smethley." Dumbledore noted. "Otherwise, we do have a hearing to attend. Even as I fear that it is already over."

Harry looked around - Veronica was chatting with Percy, and they were going through some papers - he listened in - something to do with confirmation of his arrival.

Percy soon excused himself, and headed at the exit, walking past both Dumbledore and Harry.

"Percy," Harry called weakly, wanting to say a few words to his friend's brother, but Percy just flinched, his eyes darted to the side awkwardly, and he went on, as if Harry had not said anything. Harry caught a muttered apology, but it was more of a something Percy had bitten down, going out of the way to not associate with him.

"Regretfully," Dumbledore pointed out. "You will find that Percy Weasley has had a bit of a falling out with his family."

"He did?" Harry asked as Veronica coughed, standing right next to them.

Dumbledore nodded, and stepped aside.

"Here, sign this," Smethley pushed a piece of parchment and a small quill into his hands. "It's a transcript of your witness account."

She was hiding her fear, Harry felt it, but did not press her. He just skimmed the short list, hmmed and signed his name in the proper place.

"And that's it." she let out a breath of relief, taking everything back from him. "I'll be going now."

And Veronica Smethley, forgetting all the former dignity, all but ran away from them.

Harry shook his head. "Hasn't she been working with werewolves for a while now?" he asked no one in particular.

Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder, gently leading him towards the elevators. "Fear always finds it's way into human hearts - and not everyone can be a Gryffindor all the time, can they?"

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Dumbledore," Amos began as soon as they entered his office. "I sure hope that your _game _was worth it."

Harry glanced at the Headmaster, a questioning look in his face.

Dumbledore said nothing, but brandished his wand and cast a few quick spells.

Only when Harry realised that all the background sounds faded to almost nothing, did the Headmaster speak.

"How much did it cost us?"

"A fourth of the liquid assets," Diggory explained. "Narcissa had lots of papers and the bureaucracy was on her side - all I could do was offer a bargain. I signed an agreement, in Harry's name, not to contest the quarter that the ministry took from Lupin and gave to the Malfoys."

"What?" Harry asked, anger rising in his chest. "How could they?"

"The Ministry has declared Remus Lupin a fugitive werewolf, and by their edict, he cannot inherit anything." Dumbledore said, pressing his hand on Harry's shoulder, as the boy flinched. "Please, hear everything before judging."

"What about Peter?" The Gryffindor asked through his clenched teeth.

"His mother got the money," Amos explained calmly. "Even if he is being hunted, his mother remains a living closest relative. She's rather old, and I don't think that anyone is going to deny her that comfort."

Harry still felt crotchety, but he could understand _that_, at least.

"Almost a full quarter went to you, and what was left - to Miss Tonks."

"And the house in London?" Dumbledore asked, scratching his beard.

"That was covered in Narcissa's part of agreement," Amos smiled. "She signed all properties Sirius Black might have owned for a thousand galleons."

Dumbledore smiled contently.

Amos chuckled in turn. "She did not believe her luck - there's barely anything under his name - Sirius did not have a permanent residence."

Harry suddenly got it - he turned to the Headmaster with a smile of his own. "You didn't lift the Fidelius charm?"

"Why would I do so?" Dumbledore twinkled his eyes. "It is an ancestral house, probably worth nearly as much as the whole aptly named _Black Fortune_."

Amos shrugged. "You wouldn't have needed that charm if Sirius Black had - ah - taken time to write the will properly."

Harry threw him a questioning look.

"He wrote that anyone with the last name Black couldn't inherit. I imagine James and Sirius had a good laugh when they were filling the paperwork, but the didn't think that the follow up offer... _given no more than a single Knut to shove it up their asses_," Diggory quoted shaking his head. "Honestly..." He paused. "_Technically_ speaking it was in his will, and we might have pressed for Narcissa Malfoy to be excluded from the possible benefactors list..."

"But the Wizengamot would quickly invalidate such a statement," Dumbledore finished for him. "On the grounds of the _insult to the Ministry's authority._"

"Yes, that," Amos agreed. "So, she took my offer rather quickly. It cost us a thousand galleons on top of the quarter we might have contested - but I'm sure you did not want the hassle."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, that is one of the favorable outcomes."

Amos took a small scroll from the top of the table and gestured for Harry to take it. "There, this has the remaining paperwork."

"Will I have to sign anything else?" Harry asked with some disappointment, taking the roll of parchment.

Amos nodded, searching the piles of scrolls for the correct form.

"I don't think I'd ever want to work in the ministry," Harry said mostly to himself.

"You wouldn't be allowed anyway," Diggory pointed out as he gave Harry yet another piece of parchment that he would need to fill and sign. "Werewolf."

"Oh."

As Harry was struggling with his papers, Diggory turned to the Headmaster again. "What now?"

"Pardon?" The Headmaster raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I have... skirted on the edge of the law because of your suggestion." Amos offered. "Now is the part where you explain to me what I should be doing next, is it not?"

Harry was listening, his paperwork forgotten.

"Whatever gave you that impression?" Dumbledore asked innocently.

"You have leverage against me - since you know that I knew of the Grimauld Place, yet I did not raise the question in the Hearing."

"You couldn't have," Dumbledore said. "The Fidelius Charm wouldn't let you talk about it with those who are not in the secret. Thus, you couldn't have brought it up, and there has been no fault of yours in the whole matter."

Amos exhaled a deep breath.

"I'd like you to come this evening," Dumbledore repeated his earlier words. "Just - Weasleys, a couple of their family friends, Harry and - me."

"I see." Diggory tapped his fingers on the table. "And you're not going to hold it against me if I do not show up?"

"No." Dumbledore patted his beard. "But Molly's cooking is to die for. Arthur mentioned that it was a while since your families gathered."

Amos fell silent for a minute, only Harry's quill was making a scribbling noise in the whole office.

"Can - Harry even inherit the house properly?" Amos asked. "It was a Black family ancestral house, is it truly safe?"

Harry stopped writing again.

"A rather good question." Dumbledore nodded. "We will be testing it just as Harry finishes with the formalities. After all, if such an outcome should come up, we would simply change our final destination for the evening."

"Alright." Diggory nodded, resigned. "I'll come."

"Thank you."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Apparition was always disorienting both for him and his wolf. Harry took a few good minutes to focus on the surroundings. It was a warm summer day, and there were less people walking around than he had expected.

Not a single Muggle was looking their way, though - there must have been some repelling charms at work, Harry mused to himself. Dumbledore certainly did not look surprised - and his plum coloured Wizengamot robes would have drawn attention otherwise.

They strolled up the number twelve, and Harry was interested to note that the house looked rather gritty and dark - and that was only the outside.

A strange scent of blood - very distant and faint - was prickling at his nose.

The wolf rustled uncomfortably.

With Dumbledore's urging, Harry walked up the worn stone steps, staring at the shabby and scratched door. The scent was that of putridity and dampness - it might have been only Magic that held the door firm. The silver door knocker was in the form of a twisted serpent. There was no keyhole or letterbox.

Dumbledore touched his wandtip at the door, and after a short array of metallic clicking noises - that both Harry and his wolf find rather uncomfortable, it opened with a quiet creek.

"Be careful not to touch anything without telling me," Dumbledore cautioned. "But do not worry, I am watching over."

Harry sniffed the air.

Death, darkness and blood. The house of Black reeked of despair, rather fittingly for the name. Yet - something was amiss.

He snapped out his wand. "Somebody is here," Harry cautioned the headmaster. "The air is too fresh - the outer door has recently been opened."

"There should be." Dumbledore closed the door, sending the room to complete darkness. "I asked Alastor to check on the place. he should have seen us enter."

Harry could still make out the vague shapes of the hallway. A chandelier swung slowly overhead, framed between gloomy walls with silhouettes of portraits hanging crooked.

_Serpents_, he noted. There were serpents everywhere. The edge of a portrait - shaped like a lazing snake. The candelabra on something that must have been a table, looked like a bundle of snakes preparing for a jump.

There was movement somewhere in the house as it creaked, squeaked and thundered. Something had just fallen over, and was stepping towards them - a quiet pair of footsteps, small, inhuman.

Then, Dumbledore lit the light, and all manner of old fashioned lamps lit. A tired illumination, it still pushed all the shadows skittering to the corners.

Harry's wand was aimed at the stairs.

"Alastor," Dumbledore called. "Please show yourself."

It was not the old Auror that appeared before them, but rather - _something_ else. A deformed, ancient house-elf floated into view, a rage twisting his already strange expression.

"Defiling the ancient house of black, walking unhindered, if the mistress were to see the disarray, what she would say to the old Kreacher, eh?" he mumbled under his breath, prowling forward. "Removing the trash, Kreacher," he continued to himself. "What do these thieves want from her house?"

"Harry," the Headmaster's voice woke him up a bit. "If you would be so kind, order Kreacher to do something. If the house is truly yours, he will be obliged to obey."

"Nasty mudbloods and werewolves," Kreacher noted, his eyes widening suddenly. "The werewolf - the werewolf of the nasty blood traitor! Kreacher won't. Kreacher won't! Won't, won't, won't..." he started repeating on an on. "Won't..."

"Kreacher, shut up," Harry said the first thing that came to his mind.

And the elf did. The already huge eyes widened even more, and for a briefest moment it looked like Kreacher was choking - he grasped for his throat, tried to say something and failed - then, he started slamming his small firsts at the nearest wall, yet - without uttering a single sound.

"Good." Dumbledore smiled at Harry. "Now, where were we - Alastor, you know that no one else even knows about the place. I'm sure..."

The rest of his words were drowned by a horrible, ear-splitting, blood-curdling screech. Kreacher, however stilled in his tantrum and started listening.

For a split second, Harry thought he was looking at a window, a window behind which an old woman in a black cap was screaming and screaming as though she were being tortured. Then he realised it was simply a life-size portrait, but the most realistic, and the most unpleasant, he had ever seen in his life - there was no scent of the woman, and he couldn't feel her presence, unlike he almost instinctively could with Kreacher and Dumbledore.

The old woman was drooling, her eyes were rolling, the yellowing skin of her face stretched taut as she screamed, and all along the hall behind them, the other portraits awoke and began to yell, too, so that Harry actually screwed up his eyes at the noise and clapped his hands over his ears.

"Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers-"

There was a loud bang, and the violet, moth-eaten curtains slammed shoot, the echo running down the corridor.

Silence reigned.

"About time she shut up," there rang a voice of Alastor Moody, unpleasant, yet calm. The man appeared soon thereafter, stepping forward as he lifted the Disillusionment Charm. He was holding a wand gently between his fingers, a pose ready for trouble. He grinned then - and like always, that expression came out rather grotesque, since all of his old wounds were distracting. "Reminds me of my grandmother in a bad mood." He shrugged. "Louder, though."

He turned to the Headmaster, who smiled back at the Auror. Harry was looking at Kreacher, who, in turn looked insulted and desperate.

"A merry place you picked," Mad-Eye continued, his eye-spinning wildly. "Haven't seen as much traps and curses in one place for quite a while."

"Yet, there should be nothing we couldn't handle," Dumbledore said.

"Yes." Moody narrowed his eyes, voice dripping with sarcasm. "A perfect place for the Headquarters."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>A really short chapter, sorry for that. Basically, I had half of it, but then suddenly remembered I was supposed to be posting it only yesterday. As I have mentioned a couple of times, allow me a day for a margin of error - this is one of the cases where I am making use of that little loophole. Life has been hectic enough recently without writing in the middle of the night.<p>

Strangely enough there have also been strange periods of time where I couldn't access the site. It did not get in the way of posting the chapter though.

There have been some quotes I used about the Grimmauld Place, from the Order of Phoenix, and a word from a chapter title in a Half Blood Prince. These were unmarked, and rather small. I hope.


	46. Settled

**Disclaimer**: Doctor?

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XLVI

Settled

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/VVVV\

Harry was pacing anxiously in his kitchen. It was surreal. The house wasn't even remotely what he imagined his first home away from Dursleys; it was a painful reminder of Sirius. It stank horribly, yet - it was his.

Dumbledore had mentioned that the house was a place to use for his monthly transformations, and that meant spending quite some time there. Maybe he would even escape the Dursleys until Hogwarts, too.

He took a careful sniff of the air.

The air was slightly stale, and the distant smells of other parts of the house were seeping in.

There was only one other person present in the house - Alastor Moody. Of course, that was discounting Kreacher, who was hiding in the attic. Or somewhere else on the upper floors.

Moody had asked to be not disturbed until Bill Weasley arrived, and was clearing any and all dangers in the way to the kitchen, and elsewhere he thought as vital. However, Sirius had spent a while there and had already cleared the mostly used places, thus making Moody's work slightly redundant in terms of what they needed, but no one would bother explaining _that_ to the paranoid Auror. After all, Moody listened only to himself. And, sometimes, Dumbledore.

The Headmaster himself was absent, away on the trial - or stuck up in paperwork - after having witnessed the amount of forms Diggory had to fill, Harry gathered that everything in the ministry operated by bending the knee to the mighty gods of bureaucracy.

He traced his fingers on the edge of the table. The scents were somewhat annoying, yet, there was one that Harry still didn't know how to feel about. It was warm, in a sense, and at the same time, it made him ache deep in his heart.

The scent of a black hound - his godfather. Sirius, it seemed, spent countless hours in the kitchen. Alone, never wandering to the rest of the household, unless a dire need arose_. _Maybe, Harry thought, he hated to be reminded of his past. He must have lived there for many a year, and it would be no surprise that he hated to return to the place.

Especially since he had run away from there before - Sirius had mentioned founding refuge at the Potters, one of the few times he ever spoke about his former home.

His godfather must have found a certain compromise - holing up in the least _Black_ place in the whole building, the one room that didn't reek of human blood and pain, but rather of food.

Oh, it must have been filthy when he arrived - there was still a ghost of a smelly spoiled food, but Sirius had cleaned it all, and fixed whatever he could. The painful creaking sounds from other rooms barely got through - Harry suspected that without his sharp hearing they would entirely fall flat, but they were there, picking at the very edge of his senses.

Harry sat back, touching the back of his head to the wall.

His wolf was present, sprawled on the ground to the right of him, half-asleep, even as he tried to look for any possible threats lurking in the dark corners.

Harry sighed. If only Sirius could sit next to him... If only his godfather could laugh - or even stay with him as a black hound, warm and supporting.

In a sense, Harry's life had been a whirlwind, especially recently - he lost Cho, was afraid for Remus disappearing as well, and was taking part in the Order. It did not matter that he didn't get an actual task - yet.

"Do you think I am too young?" He asked the empty room, imagining Sirius as his silent companion.

_I ran away from home when I was sixteen. _Harry almost heard Sirius' answer.

"I am almost fifteen," he mumbled to the room. It echoed strangely. "You certainly weren't a part of the Order at that age."

There was no answer.

"What if I make a mistake? What if-"

Harry guessed that Sirius would laugh and assure him that everything was going to be alright. Argue that his godson would do a good job. Listen to his fears.

But in truth, Harry knew that he was well over his head. Since as long as he could remember, too. Every time life threw him a challenge, it was something even adult wizards would have trouble facing - and every time he would scrape by. Somehow.

After all, his choice was always between sinking or swimming. And he really didn't like sinking.

He would have to endure, then.

Harry smiled and nodded at the other end of the table. "Thanks for listening, Sirius." _I miss you _remained unsaid. Maybe he was afraid to say that partout loud. Or, Sirius would know that well enough by himself, wherever he was now.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The Weasleys were the first to arrive.

Mr. Weasley had a reserved smile, the twins were nodding at Harry and pointing at all the things that drew their eyes in the rather gloomy corridor, Ron shook Harry's hand with but a hint of a smile, Ginny hugged him briefly, her hair brushing at his cheek, and Mrs. Weasley only tilted her head at him, reserved.

There was Bill too, standing slightly to the side, waiting for everyone else to go through greetings before he approached.

Something was wrong.

"Harry," Arthur offered in place of a greeting, and quickly jumped to something else. "I heard that Moody's supposed to be here?"

"He's upstairs, asked not to disturb him." Harry replied, sensing the scent of tears and anger, of recent trouble. Yet, not a single one of them had offered a hint as to what that problem was supposed to be.

"Interesting house you got there, Harry," Fred announced, staring at a crumpled old painting that was staring back.

"Oh yes, the snake motif really brings out the green in your eyes," George pointed out. "And all that silver - and the decay..."

No one laughed at the twins' meek attempts at humour.

Harry coughed uncomfortably.

"Well, now..." Molly ushered everyone forward. "Harry, could you point me out at the kitchen - I'm going to set everything up."

"Ah," he dragged out a bit, taking a second to realise just what he had been asked. "It's just here to the left - here."

And he took the short way to open the door for everyone, and they poured inside. There were always many Weasleys whenever the whole family gathered.

Harry stopped to let everyone through, and caught eyes of Bill. The curse-breaker winked at him, and lingered outside, understanding the look easily.

"How are you holding up?" he asked, shaking Harry's hand.

"I'm fine," Harry answered with his usual response. "Moody mentioned that he wants you to take a look at some things."

Bill nodded. "Know anything about what he wants me to do?"

"He didn't tell me much, but as far as I know, there might be some strange curses and the like - the Blacks were a dark family, after all." Harry shrugged. "But it might be just Moody being paranoid."

"I'll go take a look," Bill agreed. "Oh, and Harry." He leaned towards him a bit and whispered the next words. "Try not to talk about Percy today, if you can."

Harry's eyes widened. There _had_ been a reason to Percy's behaviour earlier that day - and it must have been something that pushed the family out of their usual balance. Dumbledore had mentioned something, but he wasn't really paying attention then. They must have had quite a row - it can't have been just a falling out, if everyone were on their toes so much.

"I'll try," he said.

"Good." Bill turned around in a swift move, and went on for the stairs, climbing a couple of them at a time, readying his wand as he went.

"Hey, Alastor!" Harry heard him shout but out a couple of seconds later. "It's William - I'm coming up! Don't curse me!"

Himself, Harry turned to enter the room with all the other Weasleys.

Molly was already set to work - it seemed that they had brought some things from home, but there was a teapot heating up, and some light snacks up on the table. Harry could see that Mrs. Weasley had a strange, choppy quality in her movements, her mind elsewhere, yet, with the way she was slowly relaxing, he figured that having something to do would let her to ease down a bit.

Ron, who had been waiting for him at the doorway, motioned for them to sit down.

Arthur pushed a plate with small rolls - their scent betrayed apples and a touch of cinnamon. Harry took one reluctantly, and tried to figure out what he should talk about - the silence was getting slightly awkward already.

"Do you like the house?" Arthur asked - it was not directed solely at Harry, since Mr. Weasley was looking at his children just after he finished. "What's the first impression?"

"It's gloomy," Harry admitted. "But I guess it would be a better place than Dursleys. I mean - it could get cleaned up proper, right?"

"It's large," Ron said. "Looks narrow, but there are many rooms."

"Wicked," George said looking from Fred to his father. "There could be all kinds of secrets in here."

"Harry," Fred continued on. "Would you let us explore a bit?"

"I don't know," Harry shrugged. "Moody said that most of the house is_ too dangerous to explore_."

"Absolutely not," Molly remarked from the side. "You all are going to stay here until Bill says otherwise."

The twins winced, but didn't complain - Harry guessed that they didn't want to antagonise their mother, else they would have pointed out that they were of age.

Arthur turned to Ginny. "And what do you think about the place?"

"I don't know," she said dejectedly. "Why are you asking us, not Harry? It's his house now, isn't it?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. It was a good question.

"Ah, that." Arthur sighed. "I'm sorry, Harry, I probably should have come with this question earlier - but there hasn't really been a good time to approach you before today."

Harry felt that he wouldn't like what Mr. Weasley was bringing up. The man looked mightily uncomfortable and even regretful.

"We talked with Dumbledore - not very long ago." Arthur tapped his fingers on the table. "The Burrow isn't as safe as we would want it. Especially since it's known that you're Ron's best friend..."

"Sorry." Harry inclined his head slightly. "I didn't want you to be in danger for associating with-"

Ginny pinched his side, looking angrily at him. Painfully. "If you didn't _associate _with us, I wouldn't be sitting here."

"Sorry," Harry mumbled. "I didn't mean it like that."

Ginny crossed her arms.

"Look at her mom's impression," George whispered to Fred just loud enough for Ginny to hear.

Ginny blushed as Fred laughed quietly.

"I didn't mean to tell that something is wrong," Arthur said after a couple of moments, glad that the Twins had taken down some tension. "What I was trying to do, is..." He paused. "I think I should say that it is not something I would have ever considered, but Dumbledore told me to ask you and decide later."

Harry nodded, steeling himself.

"Dumbledore mentioned that this house would be important - and that he would like to use for the Order. Molly's brothers had been members - that's of course, beside the point - Dumbledore pointed out that it's an old house, and it would benefit from some looking after it. Especially if you're to spend some time here."

Mr. Weasley nervously scratched at his hands again. "Maybe we could help you with that - the whole family, I mean... If you're willing, we could use a place to stay for a while - Burrow needs to have its protections upgraded - and we can't stay there. With You-Know-Who being back, this is the safest house we know."

Harry stared in wonder. "You want to stay here, with me?"

"Yes," Mr. Weasley said. "We would help restoring the house in turn - and as soon as the wards are improved in Burrow, we would move back. Of course, if you're against it, we'll stay as we were. It's not like the Burrow didn't protect us for as long as we lived."

"What are you talking about - of course I'd like for you to stay!" Harry exclaimed. "You're my family!"

"Oh, Harry," Molly crossed the distance between them to wrap him in a warm hug. "Thank you."

Ron grinned. "I told them you would put it like that."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Albus Dumbledore arrived last - with the Diggory family preceding him by mere seconds. Harry suspected that he had met up with them beforehand - and chose to linger until everyone else were inside.

It was a strange affair.

Harry felt the unsaid tension in the air, something intangible that hung between Weasleys and Diggories. At first glance they had been good friends before, since Arthur quickly got dragged into a conversation with Amos and Mrs. Diggory expressed sadness over meeting too frequently - and Molly soon was found agreeing and chatting away.

Still, both older Diggories seemed to be unnerved by the presence of Albus Dumbledore, who, in turn, pretended to be something akin to an old, visiting grandfather - a part of the whole meeting, yet not an important one.

Only Cedric seemed rather nonplussed. He greeted everyone enthusiastically, shaking many hands - with twins, Harry, Ron and even Ginny. She was the one to grab his hand - all the while grinned at the Hufflepuff. It made sense, Harry thought - Ginny _had _grown up together with her numerous brothers.

After a short while of polite conversation - Cedric telling them about a short Quidditch game he had seen just after returning from Hogwarts - and twins complaining about the lack of money to really get their business going, Molly called everyone's attention to the meal.

Harry, having smelled every part of the process was eager to dig in, feeling at least as hungry as Ron looked. The fact that Mrs. Weasley had some medium rare steak for him - Hogwarts usually overcooked meat compared to his preference. Harry knew that he was going to enjoy himself immensely, same as his wolf.

Mrs. Weasley outdid herself. With so many people to cook for, the Kitchen table wasn't crashing down only because magic was holding it in place. Else, the old wooden thing would have cracked down and shattered from the weight of all the dishes.

It was akin to Hogwart's feast, Harry smiled to himself, the whole contents of the Gryffindor table crammed on a smaller one.

The conversations died out, as everyone ate to their content. Molly's cooking was good, near perfect - at least for Harry - and soon he could find enjoyment glimmering in other people's eyes.

Finally, people relaxed - visibly so. Molly having been strained since the very start, finally had left her worries behind, at least, for a time. Everyone were grateful for the meal - even Moody, who turned up slightly late with Bill, had grunted something almost like a compliment.

The old Auror ate only a little, though, preferring food that someone else had tried - and he still had to cast a couple of charms under the table, before actually trying the food.

Harry was interested to note that neither Mr. Weasley nor Mr. Diggory seemed out of place presented with Alastor Moody - they must have been a long time acquaintances at the very least. Tentatively, Harry would have called the three men friends.

There must have been some story hidden somewhere. Or, since every one of them worked in the ministry together, they must have had quite a few chances to befriend each other.

The relaxed mood was quickly shot down as Percy's name came up. It wasn't Harry who mentioned it -even if he was curious. It was Mrs. Diggory, who had just moved the conversation to Charlie - as the one working in Dragon Reserve in Romania, he wasn't in position to quickly arrive - that part of the conversation was dealt with rather easily. Then, there came a question that made Molly twitch.

"...and what of Percy? I haven't seen the young man in quite a while now... I heard from my husband that he recently got promoted in the Minstry - was he too busy with the workload today?"

Bill grind his teeth. Silently - Harry barely caught the tensing motion.

Arthur chose to reply. "Percy - he hasn't been around - but we know he was promoted."

"Oh," Mrs. Diggory exclaimed, trying to make sense of everything. "Is something wrong?"

"Percy left," there was a hint of tears in Molly's eyes when she said the words. All the previous relaxation went right out of the window. "He was harsh, angry at us..." She took a deep breath. "For associating with Dumbledore and Harry - since he has just been promoted to the Junior Secretary for the Minister - and apparently '_Minister knows right from wrong'..._ And he left..."

The twins were angry - Harry could tell - mad both at Percy and themselves - for letting their mother get hurt by this. Ron and Ginny, it seemed blamed their older brother for everything - Harry even felt their focused righteous anger. Bill seemed calmer, simmering inside, watching.

Mr. Weasley was an opposite - he was calm. Not completely, no, Harry could feel the restrained unease and tiredness, but he appeared calm and collected. He had to be, for his family. Arthur's hand found his wife, gently letting her lean into his side.

"Fudge wanted to keep track on us. Especially so, since we're known to have ties to Harry Potter." He started explaining. He didn't look happy doing so, but something had to be said about it. "It was a week ago, I think, sometime after the Hogwarts had ended for the summer, all the kids were home, and Bill was visiting... Percy, he came home happy, and announced about his promotion." Arthur paused, comforting his wife. "He looked happy. We were glad for him. I mentioned that I was going to meet with Dumbledore soon. About You-Know-Who."

Diggory nodded, listening intently, as his wife looked rather fearful. Cedric was trying not to show the full extent his interest, but same as Harry, he was hanging on every word.

"Percy said that I was a fool to believe Albus Dumbledore, and..." Arthur didn't look proud of himself. "It didn't turn out well. We argued. I have never had any sort of arguments with Percy - he was always a kid I could be proud off - maybe a bit too stuck up, but never one for trouble. This row was hard. Molly tried to talk to him afterwards, but he didn't let her. We haven't really looked around properly and he had already packed all of his things."

"I went into his room," Bill added as Mr. Weasley fell silent. "And he Dissapparated when he saw me."

For some reason, Harry felt that Bill hadn't told everything that happened between the two brothers, but he didn't think it was his place to pry. If Bill wasn't telling everything, he must have had a reason for it. Even if it was as simple as non-family members being present.

Amos coughed. "I hope not to sound too rude, but, are we actually _foolish_ to defer to your judgment?" He asked looking directly at Dumbledore, who had stayed away from most of the conversations up until now.

"Oh yes," it wasn't Dumbledore who answered, but Moody. "But between foolish and _dead_, the choice is rather simple."

"Thank you, Alastor," Dumbledore raised his hand slightly, silencing the old Auror. "I have said this countless times since the beginning of the summer. Voldemort has come back. And he _will_ bring death and destruction, like he did the last time. I have no illusions about saving everyone, but I will do _everything_ in my power to stop his threat. If it is foolish of me to try - what does it make those who believe that I can achieve it and choose to stand by my side?"

"_Heroes_," Harry offered from his side of the table, drawing looks. "Like my parents - they haven't been Chief Warlocks, nor powerful enough to match either you or Voldemort, but they did their best. They tried as best as they could, and for that, I will always remember them."

Moody grinned. It looked rather repulsive, with his face being deformed in a strange smirk, but he was grinning. "They did, at that," he confirmed. "It took James a run in with the Death Eaters to start behaving properly, but they newer cowered down. Even when we had more trouble than we could lift, they did but their best." Moody took a swing from his hip-flask, and Harry noted that it didn't smell anything like Polyjuice - rather something that must have been mildly alcoholic in nature.

"Fabian and Gideon," Molly suddenly interfered, too, slightly calmer than before. "My brothers. That's how I and Arthur even know about what the Headmaster did to stop the war. And if we didn't offer any sort of help, I'd feel like we're stepping on the sole heroes in our family."

"Thus," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "We finally arrive at the question I wanted to ask tonight."

"Bill," Molly ordered in a firm voice. "Could you show everyone around while we speak with the headmaster?" She turned to the rest of them. "Fred, George - you wanted to take a look at the house - here's your chance. You'd better be careful - if I hear that you were fooling around..." She paused, letting the threat sink in. "Ron, Ginny, off you go. Harry, I know it's your house now, but I wouldn't..."

"I'm staying," Harry shook his head, and threw a questioning look at the Headmaster, as twins started protesting.

Molly wouldn't have it.

"Come on, mum," it was Ron, taking the proverbial torch from the twins. "I'm sure Harry will tell us everything afterwards."

"Absolutely not." Molly crossed her arms. "And if it was up only to me, Harry wouldn't stay as well. And I will go with you so you wouldn't even think of coming back to eavesdrop."

The twins deflated at that.

Harry was almost ready to offer to leave together with Ron, when Mr. Diggory interrupted. "I'd prefer if Harry Potter stayed, if no one else minds."

The Headmaster nodded, and that was that.

The door closed, leaving only Moody, Dumbledore, Arthur Weasley and the whole Diggory family inside the kitchen. And Harry – content in the fact that he didn't really have to fight with Mrs. Weasley to stay.

"As I was saying," the Headmaster smiled, genuinely. "The Order of Phoenix."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>Stuff happened, I got mixed up with stuff, spend some time to take care of stuff and somehow more time was lost doing stuff that had no bearing with the stuff I actually wanted to do.<p>

_Long story short_, after 45 chapters of posting every two weeks, I missed an update. This is an update that was supposed to be posted two weeks ago, but here it is only now.

Plan for the updates to remain with the same two week schedule, just, I hope to write a chapter for the update I missed in between. If there's time. And no extra _stuff_.


	47. Guarded

**Disclaimer**: Who?

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XLVII

Guarded

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry was laying in the bed, inside a former room of Sirius Black, his godfather. It was very strange to be spending the night in such a place, but both Moody and Bill have pronounced the room as the safest one in the whole building - same as with the kitchen, all the dangerous objects have been removed and Sirius had spend some time restoring the room to its former glory.

There were posters that didn't move - Muggle motorcycles and scanty clad Muggle girls. With the way all other rooms looked, Sirius' choice of decor was really out of place. Knowing that he ran away from home barely a year older than Harry was now, it wasn't hard to picture just how much of a rebel Sirius had been.

Harry was reluctant to poke and prod everything in the room too much, but he had looked around the first time he entered. The only thing that looked new was a small stack of Daily Prophet newspapers at the corner of the room, and a couple of stray books still holding Sirius' scent.

The house was almost empty.

Almost, since Bill Weasley was staying the night at a nearby room - he had worked long into the night checking and looking for any possible troubles. Since the whole family was thinking of moving in, he had to help. Harry couldn't help but feel excited with a prospect of spending the summer with the Weasleys. He had been their guest at Burrow a handful of times, and, since this house now belonged to him - a thrilling concept in itself - it would be as a way for him to repay the favour.

Even if it was a downtrodden hole that reeked of black magic.

In a way, Harry liked the thought of making this place habitable. Oh yes, it was a horrible place to stay, but there was potential, hidden under the old wallpapers and pretentious silver accents. It could turn up to be a house he owned - something _his_ - something, where he could change without fear of injuring anyone.

There was much to do. Bill and Moody came to a similar conclusion - the house had impressive protections from the outside, but inside - it was a nest for dark magic and pests. Cleaning the house up would be a team effort. A long project.

Dumbledore and Moody both had shown him the basement. Harry had half expected to see a torture chamber, but the Black family had been content with a huge, blocky basement that could be sealed from the outside world with but a simple spell.

That room - was a story unto itself. There were weak claw marks in the old stone. Nearly invisible scratches on the thick metal door. A remnant of forgotten pain, desperation and the scent of the wolf. Maybe. It was too old - too tricky to really tell what was true anymore.

There might have been a werewolf in the Black family. A long, long while ago, when the house had just been built. Maybe, Harry's first thought had been, one of the so called 'respected' family members had been bitten, and hid it from the world. Or, they had the room to keep - prisoners or captives? Maybe the family experimented on muggle werewolves? Or, some Black could have simply held a dangerous magical creature inside.

There were many possibilities, each theory more outlandish than the last. Of course, no records would ever tell the truth, and the scents were entirely too old to tell anything at this point. Whatever had happened many years ago, the room's integrity had been tested time and time again, yet the magic was still there.

It was the worst place to spend the full moon in, yet, at the very same time, it was the safest one.

After all the safer areas of the house had been visited - and the dangerous rooms marked as such and closed off - Alastor Moody left together with the Headmaster.

And, Harry found himself in the position he was currently in. Trying to get some sleep in Sirius' bed.

The sleep did not come easily, even though he felt tired. Maybe because it was not a physical exhaustion, but rather a result of things moving past him in a breathtaking pace.

Just a month ago, he had witnessed the power of the reborn Voldemort's mind first hand - and now, the new full moon was at the doorstep. There was to be an Order meeting before that - and Harry knew that Dumbledore was trying to get it done as soon as possible before Harry could fall victim to a long transformation. No one knew when exactly would he transform. Voldemort had baited him into unleashing the wolf from the proverbial chains in his mind - would that mean he could transform too early? Would the transformation last for days?

The Headmaster chose to stay on the safer side.

The Order would be meeting next evening, and to top it off, the Weasleys were supposed to be moving in the whole day before that.

Could he even get some sleep?

At least, Harry could find solace in the fact that Cedric would be joining the Order - even though Amos chose to stay only at the sidelines - without any direct participation, he did not forbid his son of accepting the call to arms.

Harry knew that the Headmaster had expected as much, but nevertheless, Amos hadn't exactly said no - there was still time for the man to change his mind. Especially if that would give him a chance to look after his own son. Dumbledore could have pressed on, Harry guessed that Mr. Diggory would have folded under pointed arguments and some suggestions from Dumbledore, yet... The headmaster refused to manipulate the family to such an extent - for him, it was enough of establishing a working relation - nothing more.

Harry turned on his side and tried to escape the thoughts.

Thinking about nothing was hard, but Harry just reached inside - to the feral feelings of the wolf, remembering the feeling of running in the forest. There was a scent of wood - of course, the manor had it disgustingly wrapped - rotting, but at least, it was something to focus on.

He took a deep breath of his pillow.

He _was_ tired, after all.

Exhaled.

And fell asleep.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Like with everything else that involved the whole Weasley family, moving in was a loud, messy and convoluted affair. The floo connection had been checked and doublecked by the Order, but it still couldn't be used too much, lest the abundant disappearing traffic from the Burrow raise questions.

The whole family flooed in with their hands literally full with their most prized possessions. The twins were first to arrive, and as soon as they did, George started levitating everything upstairs, and Fred disapparated as soon as they were out of the view of Bill. Only Harry saw the Fred disappear.

Ron and Ginny arrived next, as George was pretending to banter with Fred in the choosing of the room - out of the view of everyone else. Harry rolled his eyes - the twins were up to something. He didn't actually worry of being their target - they wouldn't play a prank on him if there were other targets, and now, it would hold true

especially so - since he was the one taking them in.

Only Mrs. Weasley was yet to turn up when Fred Apparated back - and Harry smelled him carrying something that must have been one of the twins' experiments. Harry grinned - they didn't want their mother to see what they had smuggled in - that explained the secrecy and George's efforts to keep up the charade.

As Fred rejoined his twin, he picked up the conversation exactly where George had led it by his lonesome - quite seamlessly - even if he hadn't heard all the arguments George had already said in his place. Perfect execution. Harry grinned, as he got a hug from Mrs. Weasley, the last one to join them.

What followed after that, was a mad rush to take over the safest rooms, and, in twins case, the best hiding place.

And something this simple had changed the opinion on the house for Harry. It wasn't a half-forgotten dwelling of obvious Dark Wizards, now it was something where people lived, and it was - warm.

Weasleys did bring some of the Burrow together with them.

Harry was grateful for that - and was eager to help them settle in, as much as possible. And there were many small things to take care off, that sent him on a journey around the house once more.

He didn't go out of his way to hide from Ginny, at least not intentionally, but it seemed that he constantly missed her - either by chance of her design, she almost always was elsewhere.

However, he at least knew that was there when Mrs. Weasley rushed Ron and Ginny to clean up one of the rooms from Doxys and all kinds of other vermin that lived in the future bedroom.

Twins got another room to take care off, a slightly more dangerous one - yet, with strict supervision with Mrs. Weasley. So that they would keep away from trouble.

Bill and Mr. Weasley left for the Burrow to pick up everything that was forgotten, and of course, things were forgotten, how else would it be? Their aim was to close the property as much as possible as well. In order to keep the Burrow safe from damage in their absence.

From what Bill had mentioned absent-mindedly in the early morning, Harry inferred that any protections could get stronger if there wasn't anyone alive to protect. It made a certain sort of sense - even if Harry had no idea about the area Bill worked in. Maybe Hermione would have know something more. Harry wasn't even really sure what was expected for a curse-breaker to know.

Even without prompting from Mrs. Weasley Harry decided to join the two youngest Weasleys in with their chores. Maybe she didn't ask him, because she thought that he was doing enough just by letting him stay? Harry didn't want that to be the reason he didn't take part in everything.

Ginny smiled at him when he entered - well, her mouth and nose were covered by a light piece of cloth, but her eyes glimmered enough for him to know that she was smiling. The thought of it was - warm, if nothing else. He smiled back, sniffed the air for the faint scent of strawberries and the overpowering stench of foul spray - no wonder it worked on Doxys and turned to look for something to cover his own face with.

Ron helpfully handed him a piece of cloth. Harry nodded, took a few steps back, and started to tie it on. Then, he stopped, took it off and dove into his pockets for a small vial.

There were no questions asked - both Weasleys knew about the potion he took to kill the scents, since he never really did hide using it from his friends. With the scent numbing potion kicking in, and the piece of warm tea towel that covered half of his face, Harry felt safe enough to try taking the strange black liquid spray.

"What are you thinking about?" Ron asked after a while of collecting fallen little pests into the bucket. "Feels like something important."

Harry shrugged. "Things. About the Order."

"I can't believe they let you take part," Ron mumbled behind his makeshift mask. "Not that you don't deserve it..."

"I'm not sure I should tell you everything," Harry said suddenly, rubbing his hand awkwardly. The Doxycide spray gurgled quietly. "Dumbledore has his reasons for keeping everything secure and..."

Ron grunted and gave Harry a short, incredulous look. "What brought this on, mate?"

"Too much time to think," Harry said, dropping another little creature into the small bucket. It was good that Doxys were rare enough in this bedroom-to-be. There were hundreds of them in the Drawing Room - one of those marked as too dangerous for the time being. "I want to tell you everything I hear, and Dumbledore hasn't said anything about keeping it secret from you and Hermione... But - I haven't really asked. You know, at the same time - I will come to hear things that really shouldn't leave the room - just so you wouldn't worry..."

"Harry," Ron must have been grinning under his towel, for how his voice sounded. "We worry about you all time," he announced cheerfully. "I'm not sure that we could worry more. Especially if you're going to stay here with us. Or are they going to take you on - _missions_?" Ron frowned. "Would they?"

"I don't know," Harry said dejectedly. "But I'm not talking about information that concerns _me _- it's -"

Ginny cut him off. "Our parents," she breathed out in a sudden realization. "They are not going to just keep going to the meetings - and you wouldn't want us to worry for them."

"_Yes_," Harry said. "And no - I know they will be getting involved, but I don't know how often or if at all... I know I'm not thinking about this rationally, but even if the Order isn't about fighting Voldemort head on - people have died - in the last war."

"Mum's brothers did," Ginny noted. "She rarely speaks of them. Although sometimes Fred and George remind her of them - something she talks about with Dad when she thinks they are not listening in." Ginny chuckled quietly, changing the flow of the conversation. "Doesn't want them to think that there were other pranksters in the family."

"Maybe," Harry allowed, relaxing a bit. "From what I have heard from Sirius, he and my father were the same. Maybe a bit less inventive, though. How has it been going for them anyway?"

"Not too good," Ron replied. "They are experimenting still - but nothing has come out of it yet." He grumbled. "Figures that to achieve anything, you still need money."

Harry felt slightly bad for where the conversation had strayed, but didn't comment.

There was a bout of uncomfortable silence.

"I don't think there's more." Ron finally sighed. "Think it's safe to take these off now?" he pointed at this face.

Harry shook his head. "It stinks right though the cloth and the potion both."

"Oh." Ron moved his hand away from the face. "What now?" He looked around. "I mean I'm sure there's lots to do, but I don't want to call mum if it's unnecessary."

"You're just lazy." Ginny laughed. "And, you forget she left us the cleaning."

Ron sighed.

"Cheer up," Ginny poked fun at his despair. "You're cleaning this for a good cause."

"Oh?" Harry interjected into the banter between the siblings. "And what cause is that?"

"It's the best cause - a room for me." Ginny laughed. "At least mum said something like that."

"And who is cleaning my room?" Ron asked, slightly irate.

"Fred and George," Ginny replied.

"Merlin," Ron breathed out the word. "They're going to leave me _traps_!"

"Why do you think mum is watching them?" Ginny pointed out chuckling. "Don't whine and help me clean my room."

Harry smiled under the cloth.

Ron grunted and crossed his arms.

"Look, think about it this way," Ginny said. "If Hermione comes to visit, this is going to be her room too."

Ron grumbled, but couldn't find a proper response.

Harry started laughing.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Remus was the last one to arrive to the Order meeting. Having just apparated to the hall of the Grimmauld place, he pushed through the twins - that were trying to listen as inconspicuously as they could. Lupin didn't pay them much heed, even if they jumped to pretend that they were just passing through a bit too unnaturally.

Harry smiled at the older werewolf, but the smile faltered when he saw Remus' tired expression.

"Ah, Remus," the Headmaster said, waving a hand to close the door after the tired man. "I was hoping you would join us tonight."

Lupin nodded in greeting to everyone present, and slumped tiredly on the empty seat right next to Tonks.

"How was it?" Dumbledore asked calmly, drawing questioning looks from everyone.

Remus grimaced. "Much as we expected - most are sceptical, but seem to understand that it might be the reason for Greyback to return to his preaching. Word of the mouth is that Greyback is even going as far as to threaten individual werewolves, trying to force them to join his cause. No one had any proof, though."

"You went to speak to werewolves?" Harry asked suddenly - why hadn't Remus told him about it?

"Just a few acquaintances - nothing much." Remus showed a small smile to Harry. "Prodding the state of things, so to speak." He hesitated. "Everyone I met with is on alert. They fear that Malfoy will try to come down on them - but since he seems to have gotten in trouble himself, they're calming down some."

Tonks sighed. "You went talking with other werewolves, knowing that the ministry is hunting you?"

Remus shrugged, noticing who was sitting right next to him. "It's not like they would turn me in. Same as you won't."

Tonks huffed quietly, her hair darkening a shade.

Dumbledore coughed. "In any event, I'm thankful that you went out of your way to check the general opinion - do you think there is a reasonable chance for you to at least keep the werewolves from joining with Fenrir Greyback and Voldemort? It wouldn't do to contact more of them if you have to keep your status as being hunted by the ministry."

Remus shrugged. "Werewolves don't rat on each other to the Ministry. There's too much of bad experiences with that."

"It still doesn't remove the possibility of them trying to turn you in for the reward, or to Voldemort." Dumbledore argued. "If you think the effort is too dangerous, we're just going to have to find another way."

"They wouldn't listen to a non-werewolf trying to convince them to take a side." Remus tapped his fingers on his knee. "It's the way most of us are used to - I'm an exception rather than a rule. That's why it's Fenrir who calls them under his banner, and not any of Voldemort's Death Eaters."

"What about me?" Harry asked then. "I'm not hunted by the ministry."

Dumbledore looked down on the table, where the parchments were filled with sensitive information on Death Eaters.

"The Death Eaters could use such a chance to attack you," Moody grumbled from his seat, having followed the Headmaster's gaze. "It wouldn't be smart to put yourself in danger."

"Yet," Dumbledore started slowly. "If we take the necessary precautions, it might well mean something for those who only trust other werewolves."

"What about the Wolfsbane potion?" Remus asked. "If we go through with the offer we debated in the last meeting - the werewolves would listen, I guarantee it."

"Severus?" Dumbledore prodded.

Snape glared at Remus. "I have been successful in finding the means to simplify the brewing process for it to be manageable in larger quantities. We could have a large enough batch ready for the next full moon, provided we get the required ingredients."

Remus nodded his thanks to Snape, even if the potion's professor didn't acknowledge it. "That means I could go - and we don't really need to endanger Harry."

"The Death Eaters aren't really looking for Harry Potter," Snape hissed from his corner. "The Dark Lord has ordered the boy to be left for him to kill."

"Ah, yes, of course" Dumbledore smiled thinly. "We'll have to speak about the werewolf matter after the nearest full moon - no action will be taken before. But Severus has brought us to another important topic. Has Voldemort made any inquiries about the Department of Mysteries yet?"

"Indirectly." Snape replied with a short sneer. "There is a standing order to catch an Unspeakable with an Imperious Curse - Malfoy was supposed to take care of it, but now it should fall on someone else."

"Just what is about the Department of Mysteries that You-Know-Who needs?" Sturgis asked from behind a cup of tea. "If you can tell us, of course."

Dumbledore nodded. "Voldemort believes that there is an answer to dealing with Harry Potter inside the Department of Mysteries. That is why he has ordered the Death Eaters to leave him alone. He feels that he must know everything before arranging a further attempt on Harry's life."

"Is it something like a weapon?" Sturgis asked to clarify. "Or simple information?"

"In this case, it's a piece information that Voldemort believes could be used as a weapon."

The Prophecy, Harry realised - Voldemort wanted to know the full Prophecy before acting against him. Was that simply caution? Or had he really shown Voldemort his worth by escaping each and every confrontation that had been set between them?

"And what if You-Know-Who gets it?" Tonks asked. "Or is it the case where we can't let him get it at any price?"

"It's something that won't really help him." Dumbledore replied. "But as long as we manage to keep Voldemort away from it, he'll keep trying to get it - prioritising it over his other plans, giving us some breathing space. It won't help him kill Harry Potter, but it, potentially, could make him want to do so even more. He has come to know a part of it, and it had led to attacking the Potters in the first place."

There was a round of murmuring, that quickly died down. Cedric, having been sitting in to listen as much as possible looked like he had some ideas, but the Hufflepuff kept them to himself.

Snape looked the most collected of them all.

Was Harry imagining it, or was there something bubbling up inside of his potions professor, despite the outwards facade. Anger? And it was gone - washed away by the wall of indifference and coldness.

"That's why it's important to post a guard at the Department of Mysteries," Dumbledore said and Harry redirected his attention to the Headmaster. "The department is tightly closed by itself and the presence of additional guard would let us know when Voldemort, or any of his Death Eaters make a move."

"Strictly observation, then?" Arthur Weasley asked determined. "I could spare a few nights at the end of the week - after we have finished settling in."

"Alright you lot," Moody unrolled a small crumpled piece of paper. "We're going to put down a schedule, same as we had with Potter's house. I have only one spare cloak, so we're going to have to share."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

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><p>Basically, I'm not sure what is going on with my timetables, but we should know in the coming days. The chapter came out not as polished as I'd like it to be, but here it is.<p>

I still owe one update to myself.

See you in two weeks, or hopefully, faster.


	48. Visited

**Disclaimer**: Did you know that all disclaimers are actually useless? Except this one, of course.

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XLVIII

Visited

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/VVVV\

"Don't you think its too much of double standard?" Harry asked, annoyed.

"I'm not as important as you are!" Remus had his arms crossed. "And you know it."

"Dumbledore was considering it," Harry pointed out. "And Voldemort isn't going after me, not until he gets into the Department of Mysteries."

"What would stop any of his Death Eaters from flinging a spell at you?" Remus took a step forward. "It's not like anyone is going to listen to werewolf witnesses - and the places I would be visiting are secluded enough for there not to be anyone else!"

"Even _Snape _said that Voldemort wants to kill me himself - they won't be hunting for me," Harry snapped back. "It's you who isn't protected by the Ministry's laws."

"No one is protected by the Ministry's Laws when they aren't in front of the Ministry!" Remus half-growled his response. "And you don't even know who or where to look for!"

"Dumbledore could tell me, if you don't."

"Dumbledore doesn't know everything!" Remus shouted a bit louder than before.

"But you know," Harry said, slightly startled. "You haven't told him everything?"

"Some things cannot be told." Remus took a step backwards, uncomfortable. "I promised not to. It is not meant to be known by everyone." He shook his head. "I'm not going to take you anywhere."

Harry looked at the older werewolf, wondering - just what had Remus been holding to himself - and why?

There was a short pause.

"Who can you tell, then?" Harry suddenly asked. "You promised to never reveal where to find some werewolves - to them."

"I did."

"But you can tell someone?" Harry bit down a snarl. "What if you would want to bring someone there? Couldn't Dumbledore help?"

"I can't." Remus shuffled back, uncomfortable. "I shouldn't even talk about the place. It's one of the few safe havens available to us."

"But you could tell about it to another werewolf?" Harry pressed on.

"No." Remus shook his head. "Only to lead one there."

"Why can't you bring me with you?" Harry spread his arms slightly. "I'm a werewolf, too. You can't just pretend that I'm not." He turned half a turn back and forth, motioning around himself. "We're not here because I wanted to see what living in basement would feel like."

"It's not a good place..."

Harry took a second to realise that Lupin wasn't speaking of the room they were in.

"Not by a long shot." Remus glanced at the closed doors and took a short sniff. "Not as safe as we'd like it to be, but it's the best there is for us. I don't want you to see-" He stopped abruptly.

"To see what?"

Remus shook his head. "I can't talk about it."

"It's a spell - like Fidelius Charm?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I can't talk about it." Remus shook his head again, as if banishing a short bout of pain. "But it's not Fidelius." He hesitated, as if measuring what he could say and what he wanted to. "Weaker. Different."

"So - the place is safe - if it's protected under charms?"

"Knockturn Alley is protected with the very same enchantments that cover the Diagon Alley." Remus sighed. "You wouldn't believe anyone who told you that Knockturn is safe, would you?"

"What if you can't go?" Harry asked suddenly. "What if the ministry catches up to you? Wouldn't it be safer if I-"

"Harry, please," the older werewolf said tiredly. "You only want to help because you feel you should be doing more for the Order. You shouldn't. You're still a child! You should even be a part of this!"

There was a long, uncomfortable pause.

Painful. The walls seemed to be closing in on Harry, pressing their massive, threatening presence against him, the room suddenly feeling entirely too small for two of them.

And the silence dragged on.

"I'm sorry," Remus finally said, backing down. "I didn't mean it like that. I know you have earned the right for your place in the Order - even if it pains me to think about you being in danger - especially if you do it voluntary."

Harry exhaled heavily. It wasn't like Remus suddenly agreed to take him together, but it was a step in a right direction.

He thought of pressing the short advantage - but they both needed to cool down - before the moment did not slip away. So, he changed the subject.

"I'm not going to change tonight." Harry sighed, sitting down on the ground. "Not until the usual evening." Harry felt for his wolf - agitated, cornered, but not trying to take over yet. All in due time. "My wolf feels calm," he offered.

Remus risked a short smile. "That's good."

"It's like Dumbledore thought it would be," Harry said looking at his hands. "There was an external force for that change. And Voldemort doesn't want to come looking for a weakness again. He knows it's dangerous. Even for him."

Remus hesitated. There still was something hanging in the air after their argument, something that led to them both feeling uneasy.

"You don't have to stay," Harry offered quietly. "You took your wolfsbane, and you know you're safe as always - you could spend the night in proper bed. I'll try to get some sleep here."

"But-"

"I know you need to think - and I wouldn't mind some peace." Harry tapped the carpet with his fingers. Light, brushing movement on the warm, soft surface. Not the worst place to sleep on - it was the reason why the carpet was conjured, after all.

"If you really think it's for the best," Remus took a step back. "Do you want me to come back in the morning? Or only when the change should be happening?"

"Morning would be fine," Harry said, offering a short, artificial smile. "Meat for breakfast?"

"I'll ask Mrs. Weasley." Remus nodded at Harry, mirroring the expression. "If you need anything, remember you tell Kreacher to fetch anyone or anything."

And he left, closing the door behind himself.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

He felt the presence before actually hearing the steps. Someone was coming closer - and it can't have been Remus because the pace was different. Someone had entered the space just at the entrance - one that was included in the warded section of the basement.

"Who's there?" Harry called out. If the sounds could come in, it didn't mean that the scents could - it was all for safety, after all. And letting a changed werewolf smell the scent of a human was a bad idea.

The sounds stopped.

Harry jumped up on his feet and closed up on the door, listening in.

Hesitant breathing.

He heard his visitor taking a quiet step back, and ventured a guess. "Ginny?"

She took a hissing, frightful breath, that confirmed it for him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked through the heavy door.

"I - saw Remus in the kitchen." He heard her shuffling closer. "He was sleeping at the table. Did something happen?"

"I'm..." Harry stopped himself before falling back on his usual excuse. "It was just a small argument."

"I'm sorry I wandered here," she whispered back to him. "Should I leave...?"

"You don't have to," he tapped his knuckles on the door. "You couldn't sleep?"

"It's a new place," she replied, quietly. "I can't get used to it."

"I know," Harry offered. "And I still have no idea what do I feel about the whole thing."

"Moving here?"

"It both is my house and isn't." Harry placed his forehead at the door, feeling the coolness of the metal. "That's the strangest thing."

"You'll get used to it."

"Maybe." Harry coughed. "Does anyone know that you are sneaking around the most dangerous house in the isles?"

"You do." Harry knew that Ginny grinned as she said it. "I have been sneaking around Burrow since before Hogwarts, and this house isn't that much different. Some steps creek less."

"Burrow is cosy - and here..." Harry trailed off.

"True," her voice sounded closer. "What did you argue about - if you don't mind me asking?"

"No, it's alright," and Harry was surprised to note that it was so. "It was about the Order."

"You don't have to tell me," she quickly jumped in to assure.

"But you want to know," he pointed out.

There was a quiet shuffling at her side. "Yes."

"Remus is planning to go to negotiate with some werewolves." Harry tapped annoyedly at the door. "He's not going to take me."

"But you want to go," she borrowed his earlier tone.

"Yes," he stole her reply.

"Do you think it's a good idea?" she asked.

"Yes - I mean..." Harry paused. "I don't know."

"You're afraid Professor Lupin could get in trouble?"

"There's a prize on his head," Harry mumbled. "He thinks it's nothing serious."

"You're the same," she suddenly said.

"What?"

"You're _exactly _the same. You would rather put yourself in danger, than have someone you care about in the same situation."

Harry snorted. "It's different."

"How exactly?"

"He has a bounty -" Harry stopped himself and thought about it. "I see your point."

"Do you want me to call Remus?" she offered. "To burry the hatchet?"

"It isn't that serious," Harry replied. "We're going to talk in the morning, get everything straight." He paused. "I'm going to apologise, too."

"Good." She breathed evenly, at the other side of the metal door.

"How about you?" he asked quietly. "Nightmares?"

"Maybe," she admitted. "It's strange, waking up in a place you don't know."

"Want to talk about it?" Harry offered. "Since we're both aren't going to get some sleep any time soon..."

"Not really," she breathed out. "But I probably should."

Harry shrugged, and realised that she wouldn't see him anyway. "I'm not sure I'd know what's a better way."

"Every time I wake up in an unfamiliar place..." She started and stopped. Took a deep breath. "I am afraid whenever I feel like I have moved in between. I thought I have ended up in this house - when I went to sleep in Burrow. But it wasn't..."

She was not making much sense, but Harry listened nontheless.

"I dream of different things. It's not nightmares - not always - but they are strange. And losing - dreaming about losing someone - is difficult. I dream that I find - those I care about - dead - and I don't know how they have died. But I fear that it could have been me. I hear a whisper. I try not to believe it. But there's..." She stopped. "I shouldn't be telling you this."

"I don't mind," he reassured her. "I sometimes have nightmares, too."

"They are getting less frequent," she admitted. "It has been a long time... I haven't dreamed one nightmare since returning from Hogwarts. But - it's the house, I think."

"I'm sorry," Harry offered.

"For what? I'm the one who owes you her life."

"I don't know. It sounded like a right thing to say," Harry said slowly. "I think I should have helped more. Maybe you wouldn't dream such dreams..."

She laughed. "It's alright."

"It's not," he argued. "But if there's anything I could do..."

"Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."

"Oh yes," Harry replied. "I'm a true hero - locked in the basement of the dark mansion."

"Want me to save you?" She asked jokingly.

"I think the door opens freely from your side," he said. "So you could - open them. If you needed to."

"Should I?" She asked, curiously. "Why are you even here, tonight?"

"The moon is full, just not full enough," he replied, sighing. "It's a precaution. I promised Dumbledore I'd stay here, just in case."

"Does that mean you have to stay locked in?"

"I'm not really locked." Harry chuckled. "I can open it from inside, too."

"How does that help us if you _do _change?"

"It needs to be a human hand that tries to open the door." He shrugged. "Something like that. It's all the Headmaster's spellwork."

"I see." She paused, thinking about something.

"You're safe from me, even if I change," he replied. "We didn't chose this place only because it looked good enough - it's perfect for holding a couple of werewolves safely away from everyone else in the house."

"Want me to come in?" she asked mischievously. "It's boring to speak through the doors."

"I-" he paused - did he or did he not? "I don't know."

"Alright."

There was a strange creak as the door was pushed slightly open. Harry jumped back. "You were serious about it?"

She laughed - peeking carefully inside from the small gap. "If you promise not to pretended you're suddenly changing to scare me off."

He shook his head. "I wouldn't."

"Good." She winked at him and slid the door open, moving inside.

Dressed in simple night robes, her red hair dishevelled, her expression tired, yet cheerful, Ginny left the door partially open, choosing to stand with her back at the wall right next to the gap.

Harry double backed further. Just in case.

"You know, I should have done this sooner," she teased him. "Now it's going to take a while for you to come closer again."

Harry coughed, uncomfortable. "Distance is safer."

She shrugged.

He took a deep breath - the door had been holding all scents of the outside hostage, and now, they were slowly seeping in. The scent of her strawberry shampoo, the dampness of the whole house, and the slightly salty aroma of old tears.

"I like your shampoo," he blurted without much thought.

Ginny blushed, her hand jumping into her tangled hair. "I only washed them yesterday morning," she pointed out, lightly annoyed. "You're just saying that."

"It's a strong scent," Harry replied, moving back another step. The wolf stirred strangely. "I shouldn't have said it anyway."

"I don't mind."

Harry smiled lightly. "Is it just me, or are we constantly repeating each other?"

"Maybe," she admitted. "It's the dead of the night - we're obviously not thinking straight."

"But similar."

"Similar," she agreed. And laughed.

Harry decided that he liked her laugh, as he found himself grinning at her lighthearted tone. It was as if everything serious and harsh had been left behind the door, and when they were in the same room, it just wasn't proper to discuss sad things.

"So..." She began teasingly. "Want to run away?" And showed him her tongue.

"I'll manage." He winked at her. "I have the best room in the house."

"If you say so." She looked around, taking in the old, battered walls, and the general emptiness. "Seems a bit too empty for my tastes."

"The company is good," he replied, making her move her gaze away from him.

"There is that," she finally replied, making him uncomfortable in turn.

"You're just jealous of my room," he pressed on through the discomfort. "Am I right?"

"Oh yes," Ginny took a pompous tone to her voice. "The best room in house, for our one and only Harry Potter." She paused for effect. "Want to swap? Mine has no Doxys now."

His expression grew sour. "You wouldn't want it."

Her smile weakened. "You're taking this too seriously."

"And you're too relaxed."

She slumped slightly, sliding awkwardly to the base of the wall, sitting down on the carpet. "It's soft," she commented absent mindedly. "I didn't want to upset you."

"You didn't," he said with conviction that he didn't really have. "It's just - the last month has been a rush."

"I know. You should get a break sometime. Even your luck isn't _that_ bad."

"I still miss talking to Cho," he said absently, looking at the ceiling. "I wouldn't have thought to have grown so attached - but here I am, thinking about a girlfriend that I didn't even believe I could have a year ago."

He didn't see her expression darkening.

"Yeah, I know, I'm_ Harry Potter_," he pronounced mockingly. "The _Boy-Who-Lived_"

"I didn't say anything," she was quick to defend herself.

"People are always looking for something that I'm not," he turned back to her. "Always."

"I was," she admitted. "But I don't think I am, anymore."

He blinked.

"I mean," she hurried to add. "I was a bit crazy about you - before Hogwarts and all that - but I'm not trying to find the _Boy-Who-Lived_ in you. Not now and not for a while yet. You're just someone who happened to save me once. And a good friend."

"Thank you." He turned his gaze upwards again. "It was nice of you to come down here and visit."

"Anytime," she grinned. "Want me to come back tomorrow night?"

"No," he shook his head to face her again, eyes narrowing. "Anytime but tomorrow night."

"I'm sorry... I didn't really think about what I was saying."

"Forget it," he bit down on his disappointment. "No harm done." Although, the image of him attacking Cho flew back into the forefront of his mind. "Could you - leave now?"

She got up, and bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

"It's not you," Harry offered, as she moved out of the room. "Please don't think that I'm mad at you. It's just..."

"I get it," was her quick reply. "Will I see you in the morning?"

"Don't know," Harry shrugged. "Probably."

"Could I come visit then, if you don't leave?"

"Maybe," he allowed, after a moment of thought. "Yes."

"Try to get some sleep," they both echoed at each other.

Ginny grinned and closed the door.

It clicked with a certain sort of finality, but, when Harry finally sprawled back on the floor, he couldn't help but feel like something had gone right, after all.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>It seems, that slipping once has ruined whatever regime I have managed to build up in the year before. I'll see what I can do, but time is evaporating between my fingers, as if I would be trying to catch air with a baseball cap.<p>

Anyway, I don't really like this chapter, but since otherwise it would be late more than a couple of days, I have chosen to post it now.


	49. Entrusted

**Disclaimer**: Why?

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter XLIX

Entrusted

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"How long do you think it will take?" Harry remarked from his side of the room. "I feel too lazy to reach for my watch." He wasn't, not really, but all the waiting before the change was nigh unbearable.

Remus didn't even pretend to look for the watch. "Should be soon enough."

"Still thinking about it?" Harry changed his line of questioning, drawing the words out a bit. "I promise to behave myself if you go with it."

"I'm not going to change my opinion just because I said you were right to be angry at me," Remus complained, but it wasn't harsh nor did he sound insulted. "I promised to think about it _after _the full moon, too."

Harry huffed in mock annoyance.

They were poking at each other this way only because the bleakness room was already wearing down on them. Even with the soft carpet, staying in one place for this long had Harry tiring out - and Remus was not much better.

Even if they had spent some time outside of the room - eating breakfast with the Weasleys was one such thing, Harry felt that they had returned a bit too fast. _Just to be on the safe side,_ of course. At least he and Remus made up in midst of the morning meal.

Despite that, they used the excuse of arguing to pass time. It was a charade, first and foremost, and they both knew it.

"Do you think-" Harry began and stopped suddenly. "Never mind."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Now that you started, you have my interest."

Harry sighed. "I was just thinking about what Ginny told over breakfast."

"It was a joke," Remus said simply. "Don't take it seriously."

Harry laughed. "I know, but..."

"She might have been curious," Remus pointed out. "But she saw the transformation during the third task."

"Don't remind me," Harry said raising his hands in surrender. "I thought that it was silly of me. _That's _why I stopped. And you forced it out of me."

"Don't worry, I won't tell her," Remus teased.

"What?" Harry stared at the older werewolf incredulously. "What are you implying?"

"Nothing," Remus said although his twinkling eyes suggested otherwise. "I'm just glad you're moving on, in some ways."

"What?" Harry jumped to question. "What do you mean _moving on_?"

"I think it's going to be any second now," Remus tried to escape the subject. "Don't you feel it?"

"Moony," Harry said and groaned. "Are you one bit serious?"

Remus shrugged. "I mean, it _could_ happen soon. Nothing is certain these days, is it?"

Harry grumbled something under his nose, unhappy.

Then, he felt the change coming, as a wave of tremors kicked his feet from under him.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

_It was a different forest._

_He ran in silence, letting the trees behind him fade into the darkness of the night._

_There was his trail - once lost and now found again, one of death, pain and Voldemort._

_The wolf bounded forward, as the strange, faint lights appeared on the horizon. The dashes, intensive as never before carried him forward - closer and closer to the destination._

_The light grew brighter, even if it remained gloomy and weird. The treeline ended abruptly and unexpectedly, the lights turning out to be of an old mansion._

_He carried on, reaching the walls with a single jump, and then, he leaped._

_It was a mighty leap, carrying him just high enough to cross the metal fence._

_Unexpectedly, he slammed into the metal bars and recoiled back, whining from the sudden pain._

_He rolled back on his feet and stared._

_A circular fence was laughing at him. A ghost of the laughter, a ghastly presence of Dark Lord Voldemort._

_He measured the distance silently and took a few steps back._

_The dark shape jumped into the air, higher than before - this time, he __was going to-_

_Without one bit of the warning, he found himself slamming into the very middle of the same fence he should have been flying over._

_He snarled as he rolled onto the ground._

_Pain only served to enrage him._

_So, he tried again, running even faster than before and jumping at least as high as the last time._

_The end result was the same - however his jump felt like it was going the right way it still turned out to end impossibly low._

_It wasn't natural._

_The black wolf growled at the metal construct._

_He lashed out and bit at the bars, leaving but a tiny scrape with his sharp fangs. Useless._

_He jumped back and surveyed it again._

_The mansion behind the high metal fence glimmered with it's eerie glow, taunting him._

_He looked up, towards the moon, and howled in frustration._

_It carried far into the darkness of the forest, shaking away the spell of despair the Voldemort's laughter had left behind._

_He poured all his hatred into that howl, all of his threats and all of his hopes for success._

_He just had to find another way._

_The black wolf gave the shining bars another glance and started_

_running beside the fence._

_The had to be a way inside._

_Had to._

_Even if it meant spending ages running around the fence, looking the weak spot._

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Time flies when you sleep - and in the wolf form, Harry mused to himself, he could easlily sleep through most of the Full Moon. It was a learned habbit, but one that let him reduce the pains and discomfort afterwards.

It was weird, to say the least, when he left the room, only to find steaming breakfast waiting for him. Mrs. Weasley, it seemed, took it personally onto herself to have the aftermath as pleasant as possible.

There were no real chores scheduled for anyone but Mrs. Weasley herself, and a room cleared for use as any one of them would have liked to. Of course, the way she said it could only have meant Harry, but Ron, the twins and Ginny all enjoyed such a chance.

Remus, at first somewhat reluctant, but later, excited, joined in on the relaxation.

What began as a game of exploding snap, quickly degenerated into Weasley twins asking Remus for advice. After that, it was only fair for them to recount any and all pranks they had ever played, and Harry found himself laughing with the whole Weasley family.

The only downside was that Ron got mad at twins when he found out he had blamed Ginny without due cause, and Ginny had sworn revenge. Of course, in an over the top manner, like was proper for the mood.

Harry didn't remember himself laughing this much just after the change.

Even if he hadn't managed to properly find Voldemort in his own mind.

Even if he was tired and in pain.

Life, it seemed, could actually go on.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

"Our next point of interest is the werewolf issue," Dumbledore said calmly, jolting Harry from his thoughts.

Harry saw that Remus was almost as nervous, and noted the clenching of his fists.

"Remus?" Dumbledore asked simply. "Have you given thought to the matter?"

"I have," the former defence professor didn't get up from his seat, he just adjusted himself somewhat and looked forward grimly.

Harry knew that Moony didn't do much else but thought about the future plans, trying to measure the outcome for each choice.

"The wolfsbane potion is going to prove much of a door-opener," Remus began. "I have thought about the way we could go with it - and it seems to be most beneficial to have two meetings - first to establish contact and negotiate with the local groups - and then, to actually deliver on the promise of the wolfsbane."

"And the possible complications?"

"Mistrust of the initial offer is one that could surface easily - but if our claims were to be proven," Remus said, sighing. "Also, if we send me, there is a small chance of my presence reported to ministry officials, or at worst, reach the Death Eaters through Fenrir Greyback."

He paused. Glanced at Harry.

"If we send Harry," Remus said reluctantly. "It would send a message. He's something of a celebrity - especially after that article came out. I think there's barely any werewolf that didn't get his hands on that interview, same as everyone follow the legal process."

That was something Harry hadn't thought about.

"Harry." Remus was looking straight at him. "If you actually decide to go with this - even if I don't want you to... I will help in any way I can, but there's not going to be much that I can do for your _safety_."

Everyone now were expecting _something _from him, Harry realized. He gulped. "I don't mind the danger."

Snape muttered something under his breath. Harry guessed it might have been something about stupid Gryffindors, but he couldn't really tell.

Dumbledore looked pensive. "We would have to take every precaution we think of, as well as preparing the Advance Guard for quick response."

Harry couldn't help but smile a bit. "Thank you for the trust."

Remus looked like he had just made a mistake of his lifetime.

"The Advance Guard," Dumbledore said calmly, taking everyone's attention back to him. "For those of you who do not know of it - and I have not brought the matter before simply because we didn't need it at a full strength as much as we need it now... The Guard is a part of the Order, volunteers that are willing to fight in the battles directly - if such would occur."

"And they always do." Moody nodded grimly. "We're going to need new members - there are gaps since the last Order dispersed."

"It is a dangerous position to agree to fill," Dumbledore pointed out. "Being a part of the Order is dangerous, but it doesn't compare with the Advance Guard. There are always losses." He paused. "Benjy Fenwick, James Potter, Sirius Black, Caradoc Dearborn, Fabian and Gideon Prewett, Frank and Alice Longbottom and even Peter Pettigrew were part of the Advance Guard once."

Dumbledore looked extremely tired after listing all the names - as if it took him great pain to remember each of them.

"Alastor Moody has always led the Guard - and I expect you to come to him if you want to take part."

"What about you?" Hestia Jones asked rather rudely. "I mean you're one of the most powerful wizard alive - do you go if..." she didn't finish and mumbled an apology.

"No apologies necessary," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "This designation doesn't mean raids or skirmishes occurring every day - it's a reactionary force, most of the time - people who are not tasked with protecting a place and who can, take part if there's action on Voldemort's part that we can intervene in. Every time there's a counter-offensive, I try my best to offer direct support."

Hestia puffed a short breath at her hair. "Fine. I want in."

Moody shook his head in disappointment. "The people I have to work with," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for his neighbours to hear. "We'll talk right after the meeting," he added louder. "That goes for everyone else who feels suicidal enough. Anyone less than an Auror is a dead weight, unless he has been in a few such skirmishes." He paused for effect. "That means that if you join, prepare to be useless for a quite a while."

Harry thought about it for the briefest second, and even as his wolf asked for him to step forward, he pushed the thought down - he didn't feel he could offer any sort of direct advantage for the Advance Guard - what's more, the Guard was being reformed solely so they could react in case _he _got in trouble while visiting werewolves.

"Now," Dumbledore once again had something to discuss. "This brings to us a matter of communication. I have means of contacting you all via my usual methods, but please bear in mind that it won't always be an option. _Fawkes_."

There was a short burst of flames and the phoenix appeared before them.

"Didn't the prophet write that you had lost your phoenix?" Tonks said jokingly and raised an exaggerated eyebrow, like only a metamorphmagus could. "I thought it went to live with Remus."

Many had smiled at that, and Harry chuckled quietly.

"Fawkes," Dumbledore said softly to the bird. "If you could."

There was a short burst of flames, again, and the bird was perched on Dumbledore's shoulder. Above the table, the flame appeared once more, and a single golden feather fell down on the middle of the table.

"This is a warning." Dumbledore announced - and most of the people present didn't look like it surprised them much. "This is the fastest and most reliable method of sending a message that cannot be intercepted. It means one thing and one thing only - take the feather and _retreat _from where you are as soon as possible."

The Headmaster looked around, his expression hard and sad. "Fawkes can find the feather wherever it is taken - and help will find you. Otherwise - we have this as our safe-house."

Moody grunted from his side of the room. "And don't forget to apparate to a couple of random places before heading to London - it's safer that way."

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "But if there is need to bring a message to me or anyone else in the Order - Fawkes cannot help you. Thus, there is a small trick that I have devised in my free time. You are knowledgeable of the Patronus Charm?"

The large majority of the room nodded.

"Good," Dumbledore said contently. "Those that do not, I urge you to learn it as soon as possible - Dementors are extremely dangerous creatures, and they are apt to join the Dark Lord if such an opportunity arises. And Voldemort _will _try to take them for himself, of that we have no doubt.

"Remus Lupin can assist you with learning the base Charm." Dumbledore paused, and when he spoke again, Harry imagined the Headmaster speaking before the class of eager seventh year students. "Now, the Patronus isn't just a spell to ward of Dementors, even if it proves extremely efficient to the task, but it can also be used as a means of communication, if the situation is calls for it."

The Headmaster brandished his wand in a swift movement, as if drawing a fencing sword.

"A key part of summoning a corporeal Patronus forth is recalling a pleasant emotion to the forefront of one's mind." Dumbledore closed his eyes. "Now, as you feel the memory inside yourself, you should think about a person you want the message to go to. If your memory in question involves the recipient all the better. It is also possible to focus on a location which you can associate with the memory, but it is usually slightly trickier than choosing a person."

"_Expecto Patronum_," Dumbledore pronounced clearly, calling forth a silver phoenix, and added in a whisper - Harry caught it clearly, but others didn't. "_Adding a message after that is the easy part, like so_."

The phoenix Patronus zoomed upwards, and then, as if changing its mind, returned to hove just beside Harry Potter.

"_Adding a message after that is the easy part, like so,_" it echoed Dumbledore's voice - not a whisper, but instead a full and loud voice, same as if headmaster had said the same thing louder. Then, the silver phoenix dissipated into nothingness.

"We used this method of communication exclusively for Order emergencies," Dumbledore explained. "There, however, exist some drawbacks you need to be aware off. First of all, it is a highly visible spell, whether you are sending or receiving such a message - good if you need the message to be noticed, and very inconvenient whenever you desire otherwise. Secondly, it is both a complicated spell and one requiring much focus - a commodity that isn't necessarily present in a situation where the need to use such a method of communication arises."

Moody coughed, just as Dumbledore finished speaking. "Practice this spell - if you can manage a corporeal Patronus, you should be able to achive this - but remember, when a Dementor is breathing down your back, it's not going to be as easy as in the safety of your home."

"Harry," Dumbledore continued as if Moody hadn't interrupted anything. "I know you are able of producing a full Patronus, but I'd urge you against testing out this spell yet - as a rule, your usage of spells should be as restricted as you can manage until the start of the school term. Even amongst werewolves - and only because it could bring Ministry knocking at their doors."

Harry looked at Dumbledore questioningly.

It was Kingsley who answered. "All under-age wizards are monitored, and Fudge would use any chance of your misbehaviour to use it against you... Unless there is a danger to your well-being it is better to forget about magic."

Harry nodded and that was it for the matter.

"That said," Moody added. "If you're in trouble, it's better to call for help than risk needlessly. It goes for all of you lot as well - Dumbledore can help you to deal with most of the political shit-storms."

What followed were news about a couple more goings in the ministry, and, most importantly for Harry, the possible schedule for going on with the werewolf problem.

As wolfsbane would be available only a couple of days before the full moon, there was not much to adjust about the plans, except setting a date for the first visit, at a date when most of the Advance Guard could make it, if something went not as it was expected to.

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

Harry was surprised to find Cedric Diggory among those few staying behind to begin learning the Patronus Charm from Remus.

"Isn't the charm covered in the Sixth year?" Harry asked curiously, while Cedric was waiting for his own turn.

"We had to write an essay about it - learning it is actually optional." Cedric explained. "I tried to use it before, but..."

Harry nodded in understanding. "It's probably the most difficult charm I have ever managed."

"You started learning it during your third year, didn't you?" Cedric asked in turn.

"I did."

"Impressive," the Hufflepuff said. "How long did it take you?"

"Four months?" Harry half-said and half-asked. "I wasn't really counting."

"Tough," Cedric let through his teeth. "Good thing that you did, though."

"Fat good it does me, when I can't cast spells for the whole summer," Harry complained. "I just feel that I'm going to need that spell at least once this month."

"Shh, don't jinx yourself," Cedric cautioned. "Still a Gryffindor, sticking your neck into trouble willingly."

Harry laughed. It was only partially fake. "I can't let Moony do all the work, can I?"

The Hufflepuff glanced at Remus who was currently mid-conversation with Hestia Jones - the witch in question was complaining about Moody needing to know if she could cast a Patronus, before he let her take part.

"Not going for the Guard?" Cedric asked then, and when Harry shook his head, he continued. "Me neither. I guess I'll wait until I graduate."

"If I had that luxury," Harry said in an absent-minded tone, and laughed. "Never going to happen with my luck."

"If I had your confidence." Cedric mimicked. "I'm just hoping that I'm doing the right thing."

"You are," Remus interjected to their conversation, as Hestia Jones turned to look for Moody - with a mostly shapeless silver mist following her. "She's going to try and pass off that as a Patronus..."

Harry glanced at the indecipherable shape. "It wouldn't hold very well against real Dementors, would it?"

"Probably not." Remus sighed. "She's a bit too eager to help. Like a certain _someone_ I care about."

Harry pretended it wasn't aimed at him.

Cedric raised an eyebrow. "How do you even measure if a Patronus is strong enough for a Dementor?"

"Practice?" Harry winked. "I tried it on a boggart. They turn into Dementors when I'm near." His mind, however, offered another image - him standing over a dead body of a friend that he had just killed. He didn't know what was scarier - failing or fear itself - at least not until he would meet another boggart. "At least they did, before," he said with uncertainty.

"Would it be possible to arrange something similar?" Diggory asked then. "I don't want to think that I have learned the charm just to realize that it won't do anything against the actual threat."

Remus smiled. "We'll think of something. Now, show me what you have got so far, so I'd know just how much work do we have ahead of us."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p>I mixed up the weeks of my updates. This should have appeared roughly a week before and only updated SMTG today, but I figured not many people would mind this outcome.<p>

I'll try to have the update in a week, to return to the usual schedule.

Things should also be spicing up considerably, now.


	50. Sworn

**Disclaimer**: Where?

* * *

><p>\vvvv\/

/VVVV\

**Feathers, Fangs and Flames**

Chapter L

Sworn

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

The tree branches swayed all around them, and Harry had to constantly swat them aside - even then, he already sported a few scrapes and scratches.

Wind blew in seemingly random patterns, making the tree branches ever more annoying and unpredictable. It also brought forth many confusing scents. The forest didn't feel like it had human presence, but it was certainly full with life.

The humans being sparse could easily be explained with a Muggle-Repelling Charm, but Remus had refused to outright confirm it before, only going as far as to comment that Muggles couldn't find _this _part of the forest, even when they _thought _they could.

"Where are we, exactly?" Harry asked Remus. They had similar conversations a few times already - Harry asking a question and Remus responding elusively. Still, Harry was getting bits and pieces, and that made it worth questioning.

The older man sniffed the air around them. "Can't tell you yet, sorry."

Harry shrugged and scratched at the small rope on his arm - yet another Portkey the Headmaster had given him. He supposed it was good enough, since they _had _worked each time - even if not exactly as could be expected.

Harry looked around once more - had he seen something move?

The wind had no answers, and he wrote it off as just some stray animal. He sniffed the air, just to be sure. Probably a squirrel. Then, he snapped to attention - it was a faint trace of some _other _scent - brought by a stray gust of wind from afar.

_Werewolves_.

Harry glanced at Remus, but Moony didn't look like had caught it yet.

The wind changed again and Harry frowned. "I think there's something to the east," he said simply. "Probably a werewolf. Seems like a day ago, but could be older."

"Good." Remus nodded while his eyes darted through the nearest undergrowth. "There should be."

"We're here?"

"Not yet. Soon," Remus said. "If you smell anything fresher, tell me."

Harry nodded and the two of them continued on their way. The wind grew ever more erratic, and there was a short feeling of him going the wrong way. Only by fixing his gaze on Moony he could carry on without any hesitation. Harry could only wonder just how many spells were at play here.

Remus, however, didn't show one bit of hesitation, as he threaded over a small moss covered hill. There was a huge oak on the very top, and Moony was heading straight at it.

Harry sniffed the air - yes, there definitely had been werewolves around. Roughly a week ago the was even a whole bunch of them. Someone had been there just yesterday, too - the scent he had caught minutes before.

The oak itself, however, was completely bare of any sort of scent - not even of the tree itself. The fact stood out like a sore thumb - with all the other scents around, this empty spot drew Harry's attention in but a second.

It was a huge tree - surrounded by a slow, but steady spinning winds, it stood powerfully above every other three in the vicinity - not the largest three in the forest, but certainly such in the closest neighborhood.

Remus stopped right at the base of the tree and looked upwards.

"Ed!" he called out.

Harry squinted his eyes - there wasn't anyone up in the three, was there?

_There _- he caught a swift movement atop one of the higher branches.

"Still alive, eh, Remus?" came a question from above. The voice was harsh, slightly raspy - and tired. "Who's that with you?"

Harry didn't feel like he should be answering that question, and to top it off, he realized that he didn't like the man already.

"Harry Potter," Remus said slowly. "He's a werewolf."

"Are you really?" Came a question - its speaker still obscured by the green leaves.

Harry sighed and moved his hair out of the way of the scar - giving a good look for whoever was there, above. "Yes," he replied in a short growl.

"Not what I asked, but good enough." The man jumped to the lowest branch, and Harry caught a look of an old green wizarding robe. "You want to enter the woods?"

"We do," Remus called upwards. "I need to speak with everyone, too. You know how my visits usually go, Ed..."

The man spat down, and jumped to the ground. Harry quickly caught the scent - when it was no longer protected with some enchantment. Definitely a werewolf. The man had a strange scent overall - leaves and forest, mixed with regret and blood. He was unpleasant to have nearby, too - Harry's wolf all but made him growl at the man.

The werewolf was clad in the worn out robes that looked positively ancient. The khaki green robe blended in well in the trees, even as it was torn and ripped in a few places. There was a handle of a wand peeking out of one of the pockets, too. With short brown hair and a scarred face, he reminded a bit of Alastor Moody, but was leaner and a lot more sickly looking. His eyes, however, were probably as harsh as the old Auror's.

The man looked over Remus once more. "Aren't you supposed to be on the run from the Ministry?" This time, the question sounded more like a joke, rather than an accusation. The man's eyes were shining with a glint of mischief, too.

Remus shrugged. "Maybe. Are you?"

"Don't know," the man nodded to himself, eyes darkening a bit. "They probably forgot about the good old Edgar years ago." He glanced at Harry. "That's me, by the way - and you're Harry Potter."

"I am," Harry said just because he didn't know what else to say to that introduction.

"And you smell werewolf enough to convince me, imagine that. Are you going to tell the Ministry where to find me?"

Harry didn't glance at Remus, but he felt the professor incline his head by a hair's breadth. "Why should I?"

Edgar laughed. Harry didn't like _that _laugh. "Good boy."

Harry growled, despite himself.

Remus looked ready to intervene.

"Did you tell him the rules?" Edgar asked Remus, seemingly ignoring Harry's anger. But Harry knew that the other werewolf was only pretending - he was watching, preparing for a counterattack at the slightest sign of danger.

"No," Remus said. "I could do it for you, if you want me to."

"Nah, you'll mess it up."

Harry got his wolf's irritation under control - to a degree - and tried to look curious. "The rules?"

"These are simple." Edgar tapped his cheek as if it would help him remember. "Now, place your hand on the oak and I'll tell you all three."

Harry glanced at Remus, who nodded.

He reached out. Harry touched his fingers at the wrinkled bark of the old tree, and then, the whole palm. The tree felt - cold. Strange - distant, even as his palm felt the rough texture of the bark - like an old man's skin. It also felt like something warm and close - wet and yet completely dry. It smelled, too. As if some spell had been broken, it was a whirlwind of scents, of many a werewolf that had done exactly the same, before.

"Like that." The werewolf grinned in a strange way. "Now, be a good lad and don't let go until we finish. Unless you'd like to feel lots of pain." He paused. "You can answer with anything that's close enough to 'yes', be it 'i do' or some crazy vow you might want to use, but this curse cares only about the _intent_. And if your intent is _bad..._ let's just say you won't like the result."

Harry swallowed heavily. A strange_ curse _was something he didn't want to get on himself by accident. Especially since it seemed rather _arbitrary_. Not like the Goblet of Fire at all.

"Now - first rule. _Only werewolves _- never tell a non-werewolf about these woods, nor try to bring them here. Don't even try to mention the names, places, anything like that. If you can tell less, even to a werewolf, tell less. Do you understand this rule?"

"Yes," Harry said, and he felt a strange touch of magic travelling down his arm.

"Second. _No friends, no enemies_. We don't care if you hate the one you bring with yourself, nor if you are his best friend. If he's a werewolf, we'll let them in. You don't bring your baggage, and for that, we ignore you same as we ignore others. It means no fighting for the things outside, nor expecting someone to care about your personal problems. We won't mother you - and you don't cause trouble. Do you think this is clear enough?"

"I think so," Harry said and the strange feeling repeated itself, creeping up his arm, as if trying to ensnare him with an invisible bindweed.

"Lastly. _Order_. Everyone you bring here, must come to this oak first. There will be someone here. If there isn't, recount the rules for them yourself. They will swear to follow, or they are _not _a werewolf - not really - and you just broke the first rule. You don't want the curse to fry you for that transgression. If you're not sure he will go for it, keep silent until he does. Safer. For both of you. Everyone swears by the same tree, and everyone who can help curse the poor sods that disobey, does so. Got it?"

"I did," Harry replies and this third time, he felt a sharp pain in his palm, and the smallest drop of his blood ran free on the blackened bark of the tree. The strange feeling of being chained repeated and then he was both imprisoned forever and completely free, sitting at the base of the tree, his head screaming with a crushing migraine.

Remus helped Harry get up back on his feet. "You did it."

"Yes," Edgar drew out sarcastically. "Very impressive. Little Harry knows how to say 'yes'. Heard it's a real skill for all the weddings."

Harry glared at the man, but once again, was completely ignored.

"Remember - only werewolves, no friends, no enemies, and keep yourself in order." The words ran strange for Harry, as if the spell had carved itself into his mind, leaving yet another scar that would never truly fade.

"Is that it?" Harry asked then, expecting something else.

"Probably." Edgar shrugged. "Welcome to Sherwood. Now do me a favour and scram. I was having such a wonderful nap before you barged in here... Shoo!"

Remus sighed and pointed further northeast. "Here, we're going that way now."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

If Harry thought that the oak he was sworn under was big, he could only marvel at the Major Oak in the middle of a huge open space that its branches covered.

It was, in a sense, the very heart of the forest - the biggest and the oldest tree, its branches reaching out at the edges of the clearing and straight up to the sky itself. The form of it was weird - unnatural in the way that it might have been a couple of trees, all grown together into one huge construct.

Harry had expected a large tree since hearing the name _Sherwood_ - but this one seemed larger than a normal oak could grow. The clearing around the tree was a vast stadium of green soft moss and weak grass that sprouted here and there, half destroyed by the constant footsteps.

There was a certain scent of magic about the place - the harsh aroma of oaken bark, mixed with the pleasant smell of wet wood and a soothing charge of magic.

There were people living here - in half concealed wooden hovels, or otherwise unremarkable tents. It was a village inside the forest, and you had to look for it to notice most of the dwellings. Naturally, with Harry's enhanced senses, these were rather easy to pinpoint. There even were hammocks hanging in some of the nearby trees - not all of them empty, as there were men sleeping already.

A lone fire - even if it was rather small - gave the clearing illumination while the evening was threatening to cover everything under the cloak darkness.

It had been a long and tiring day on their feet, but they finally were there. Remus had his arm on Harry's shoulder, as if that would guard him from any possible dangers.

It was strange - in a way, Harry felt like he had just arrived at a medieval Muggle village. It wasn't a real village, though. Not really - a temporary hideout, at best. There were mostly men present - a quick count of the scents suggested a rough estimate of twenty... A few women and two children. None of it felt fully Muggle - even the cheap, obviously Muggle tent to the north was under a generous camouflage of three branches and a weak blanket of magic.

Magic was in the air. Unobtrusive, it lingered everywhere - tents were enchanted, forcing the gaze to slide away from most buildings unless Harry focused on a particular one.

A scent of cooking meat reached him then, and Harry snapped to attention, his mouth watering instantly.

Above the fireplace, there was a huge lump of animal meat, cooking over the flames. Probably a deer - even though Harry wasn't sure he recognised the scent correctly. A boy, of roughly Harry's age was looking over the flames - so that they wouldn't char the meat too much.

After all, every werewolf preferred rare meat. The scent was good - and Harry had to fight a desire to jump forward and steal a bite. The distraction, in a way, served him and Remus well - most locals wouldn't really care about the new arrivals, not when everyone had to force down a hunger for a fresh meal.

Remus, meanwhile, was offering last minute tips in quick whispers. "Don't ask for the food unless someone offers - they rarely have this much at hand. Also, be wary of everyone - if you take a conflict from outside - you'd be breaching the rules, but a conflict that starts here isn't covered..."

"Shouldn't the oath keep others from fighting - I mean, wasn't that the purpose of the second rule?"

"It's a lot looser than many charms are - and the magic is fickle with complex spells like this. Also, since there aren't that many werewolves who can cast a half-decent curse... Our _condition _usually gets in the way of magical education, and no self respecting wizard would help werewolves keep their peace, and even if there was one who would, not a single werewolf here would trust him to deliver. They - _we _- have to make do ourselves. That said, it's hidden quite well, had been so since the middle ages. Didn't belong to the werewolves at first, too. Someone else here might know more - but I'd guess that the base spells hadn't really changed through all this time..."

Harry nodded.

Edgar hadn't chosen to walk with them, and Harry thought that it was a good thing - he didn't really like the attitude of that man.

Someone else, however, was coming straight to greet them. Remus smiled at the old looking man, and Harry took it as a good sign.

"Remus Lupin, as I live and breathe. I thought we weren't going you see you again." The man strolled the last few steps in a quick dash - rather uncharacteristic for someone his age. It was an old, large man - white short hair and slightly silver stubble of a beard framed the face, small eyes watching Harry and Remus with pleasant, simple gaze. "I feared that the Ministry caught up to you."

Remus nodded in greeting, and Harry mirrored him in but a second.

"The Ministry is looking at all the wrong places," Remus shrugged. "But I didn't come here to speak about my enemies, John."

"Nonsense, Remus, and you know it." The man smiled lightly. "Most of the young folk go on and about the Ministry being a bunch of tossers..." John glanced at Harry, his eyes travelling to the scar in seconds. "Blimey, Remus, are you out of your mind? This is _the _Harry Potter you brought with you," he added in a hushed tone. "Is it not?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked rather rudely, glancing around in worry.

The man threw Harry a pleading look. "Gah - you went through Edgar's oak, all good and proper, didn't you?"

Remus nodded, sniffing the air, his previously calmer facade wavering - worry creeping into his expression.

"He's going to tell everyone," John shook his head, speaking quickly. "And we can't just hide Harry somewhere - Remus, oh how you messed up everything..."

"John, you're not making much sense," Remus raised a hand to stop the man's rambling. "What's wrong?"

"Fenrir happened." The man glanced towards one of the tents.

"Greyback is here?" Remus sneered as his nose wrinkled with disgust, as if he had just eaten a sour fruit. "_Now_?"

John shrugged. "He's nearby - there had been talk of him arriving soon. The stupid ones are already waiting. Who knows what they would do if they knew that not only you're here, but you brought..." The man rubbed his hand on the bear. "He's better off at home."

"I know." Remus sighed. "We came here precisely because of Fenrir, and I'm not going to turn my tail and run just because he might turn up."

"What?" John opened his mouth and then slammed it shut, teeth clattering. "Still on about the same thing? Everyone knows you're speaking for Dumbledore, even with that show in the papers. Remus, don't be a fool - the man sacrificed you to save his own hide the first chance he got and you're still on about the whole cooperation thing? Wizards and werewolves, Remus."

"_Always_." Moony gave the old man a look. "Since when do _you_ preach for the other side, John?"

"Bah - I'm not _preaching _for anyone. No one is going to listen about your ideals if they know you're wanted for the ministry. Hell, I heard Malfoy is offering a hefty sum for your capture from one of the boys - that's the best cooperation with the wizards you can hope for."

"This time it's different."

"Because Harry Potter is here?" John took a long, calculating look at Harry, as if admiring a racing horse. "If they don't eat him alive, I doubt that he knows how hard is it for the other lads. Celebrities get all manner of closed eyes in their way - no insult intended, young Harry."

"With all due respect," Harry interjected, growling. "I don't think it's solely about having a bad life."

"They won't care." John paused and sniffed the air twice. "Both of you - I know what you are trying to do - and I respect that - but they don't care the slightest when_ I_ try to keep them out of trouble - and they won't care about _your _way." He sighed. "Just last week some cub got drunk and suggested going Muggle hunting. To bring more women for the Woods. And Fenrir isn't even here yet."

Remus shuddered. "Did they?"

"What? Ah, the stupid one? No. Got a bit too drunk and forgot what he was talking about. Kept to himself through all the full moon - at least as I can remember." The man shrugged. "If one of the spells stopped working, it might have gone bad. The tourists turn up more often than you think - for their stupid tree in the south. And if one of them strays too far north into the woods and bypasses all the fancy repelling charms by accident... The magic is well and good, but it will fail at some point, and I just know that we're going to catch a poor soul one full moon night. And it will be the end of whatever little peace we have here."

"Seemed as strong as ever, when we were walking here," Remus assured the man. "But I can try and take another look."

"Do." John shrugged. "You're probably the only one closest to the expert we have."

"I taught _Defence Against the Dark Arts_, not a _Quick Muggle-Repelling Charms course for the Ministry Personnel_," Remus replied half-irritated, half with a smile.

"You have a bloody Hogwarts education," John said, gesturing to his right. "Everbody else here is lucky to know that magic exists."

"It can't be that bad?" Harry blurted out in surprise. "I mean, are there that many Muggles turned into werewolves here?"

"Maybe four out of all of us here. Your first question is more spot on. It's terrible." John shrugged. "I think the Ministry would have me in their records as a squib, but the thing is, I have never had the chance to even try my hand at magic. Edgar and Remus are exceptions, and the former was bitten after Hogwarts."

"I did offer to test it," Remus pointed out. "You declined."

"And I have decline every time you offered and will continue to do so. I'm too old for this fancy magic, not when someone can use it for me. And if I would manage to get out a spell - I'll have to live with the regret of me never really trying to learn any. Self-pity leads nowhere." He laughed. "I'd rather die a simple werewolf - and leave the spellcasting to your younger lot."

Harry could only wonder at such a choice - to reject magic while living in a place which literally was soaked in spells and enchantments. Incomprehensible.

"Your choice." Remus smiled thinly. "Stubborn. But, since you seem to know what you are doing..."

John stared at Remus in surprise. "Ah, you mean to tell me that my criticism for you is the same? I'm only trying to help..." he trailed off. Then, he chuckled. "Point. I'll stop badgering you about your decisions. Just - be careful."

"I will be," Remus said, smiling. "But there's something you should know about my proposal this time."

"Mhm?" John stopped mid step - he was ready to leave them to their own devices.

"We're going to offer Wolfsbane," Remus whispered conspiratorially, even going as far as to lean towards the man. With the werewolf hearing, it was a rather pointless move, but it drew Johns attention to the words.

The man froze. "You know better than to joke with such matters."

"We're serious," Harry added. "It's the least we could-"

John's eyes twinkled with joy for the briefest of moments and then he frowned heavily. "Wait, and you're going to ask to take up an active part - in something you want us to help you with. In exchange for the potion?"

"Not exactly," Remus said slowly. "More like not letting Fenrir get away with his power games."

John bit his lower lip. "Fine." He shook his head like it would keep the bad thoughts away. "Let's head to the fire, grab a bite of the fresh kill, and you're going to try and sell me your special brand of insanity. Again." He sniffed the air nervously. "It seems that with age, I'm getting ever more stupid."

\/vvvv\/

/VVVV\

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

Even though I have an excuse this time (attending a friend's funeral) I'm still constantly finding trouble of meeting the exact self-imposed deadlines I set ages ago. With fifty chapters done, and more than half of the story already accounted for, I'm still going to keep updating, roughly once every two to four weeks, but I'm not going to promise any exact dates.

On a more upbeat note, this lifting of restriction might actually help me write longer and better chapters - since I had fallen into habit of quickly finishing out 3k word chapters just at the very edge of the deadline as opposed to my supposed average of 4k chapters written in advance to be posted at set times.

This means only good news for those of you who read SMTG, I guess, since I'll feel more morally obliged to update that story without the excuse of having to write FFF since it's the last day for an update.

So yeah. If life allows me to return to a schedule again, I'll let you know.

Reiterating something I had said at some point before, just in case - nothing I write is finished nor abbandoned unless I marked it as completed or I explicitly say so in my profile.


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